An Angels Scream, A Devils Cry
by redx117
Summary: Sequel to Links In A Chain! It's been 3 years and Sakura and Syaoran are living a happy life, but when a powerful sorcerer tries to bring Evil back will they be able to stop him in time? And who is this Devil Hunter named Zero who is willing to help them?
1. Prologue: Devil Hunter Rise

DISCLAIMER: Just so everyone is clear on this

DISCLAIMER: Just so everyone is clear on this. I do not own CardCaptor Sakura.

DISCLAIMER: I also do not own any characters that are Devil May Cry, they belong CAPCOM.

Even though I really wish I did, I don't. Oh another disclaimer notice, I also do not own the characters Life, Death, Miaka, Dren, Lost, Nightmare, Sorrow, Illness, Seduce, Fear, and Evil. They all belong to the genius mind of Hearts of Eternity. She is the one who created these awesome characters and she also owns the original concept of this timeline and the events.

The only character that I personally own is Zero.

IMPORTANT NOTICE TO ALL READERS:

This is very important for everyone who reads this, YOU MUST read the story Links In A Chain before you read this otherwise you will have no idea what is going on or who any of the characters are or their importance. If you have read the story Links In A Chain then by all means please go ahead and read this new story.

One more thing, please leave a review and tell us what you think about the story. Tell us your thoughts and opinions. I don't mind flames but my dear co-author, Hearts of Eternity, is very sensitive so please don't be harsh.

Anyway without further ado, please enjoy…

An Angels Scream, A Devil's Cry

Prologue: Devil Hunter Rise…

The town of Fortuna was deadly silent for the night as a gust of wind began to blow in through the buildings. It was nearly midnight, yet many lights were still on in nearby homes and buildings and stores. Any other night, the citizens of this beautiful town would be fast asleep, dreaming the night away; however, this was no normal night.

Hundreds upon hundreds of bodies lay strewn all over the ground, all dead, not a single soul left alive. The town was painted red with blood from the citizens that lived within its homes and buildings. The streets were littered with bodies of men, women, and even children, not single innocent person was spared. The citizens of the town of Fortuna were all dead. The streets, the windows, the cars, the lights, everything was covered in bloodS. It was a horrible sight and the terror was not over for those who committed these murderous acts still lingered within the town.

The Opera House was both considered a place for recreation and the town hall where the mayor and leader of this city lived and protected his people with his wife. But, the place that had always been known as a safe haven was now the center of this hell-on-earth. Many dark figures were running around the building frantically back and forth, here and there. It was obvious they were searching for something.

There were eight particular figures that stood outside the range of the other frantically searching creatures. One was a tremendous and terrible dragon. It looked as if it had once been beautiful, elegant, and graceful, but the darkness from its heart had completely corrupted the wretched beast, warping its body until it was nothing but a monster. Two massive horns curled away from its head, and a mouth filled with razor sharp teeth was parted slightly in a snarl, ready to kill at any moment. On top of him sat a creature that was the epitome of everything the dragon was not; beautiful, seducing, elegant- like poison hidden in fine wine. Red hair the color of rubies fell past her waist, mingling with the sleek, blood-red fabric of her dress, cut to showcase her voluptuous cleavage and slit up the sides to reveal long, slender legsS.

Next to them stood two hysterical demons, laughing and shrieking at the frenzied activity around them. They appeared young, teenaged perhaps, though they numbered a couple hundred years old. Both were female, clinging to each other and rocking neurotically. One was a yellow-haired creature, her hair cut in uneven chunks that stuck out around her head with a little yellow nurse's cap nestled amongst the tangles. Her flesh was an un-natural hue of yellow, as if she suffered from jaundice; a shade of yellow that nearly matched her tight, lemon-yellow dress, high-skirted and matched with blindingly yellow slip-on shoes. The demon-girl's companion glowed dull lavender, her flesh a muted hue of color. This demon was garbed in long layers of heliotrope robes; a dress that covered every inch of her body, aside from her spindle-fingered hands. Her long, lavender hair was brushed neatly, unlike her yellow-hued companion, falling across her face like a curtain. Together they were an eerie sight, both had the same height, same voice, same face- they could have been twins.

"Look at them run-!" "-hurry-scurry run, run, run!" They laughed and squealed, pointing at the little creatures running frantically around them. "They're like little tiny ugly bugs!" "We could squish them it we wantedS!"

"Do refrain from doing so, please," said the woman-demon on the dragon's back. "There's no need to make a bigger mess than we already have."

"Messes are fun, but-!" "-cleaning them is not!"

The dragon snarled, stretching out its long neck to snap at the two demon girls. "Then sit down, shut up, and stop annoying the hell out of the rest of us!" Instantly, the two girls shrieked, falling back on their rears in a tangle of arms and legs.

Sharp, scornful laughter bubbled from nearby, emanating from a slithering mass of navy-blue smoky-liquid shadow. The creature slowly gathered itself from the floor, rising to a human height and solidifying into a man who looked as if every drop of blood had been drained from him. His clothes were as bizarre as his appearance; a jester's outfit of navy-blue and deep-black stripes, accompanied by a three-pronged jester's hat of the same color scheme, with matching striped gloves and boots. He spared the wailing demon-girls a scathing, mirthless look before shifting his gaze to the dragon.

"I'm glad someone finally told them to shut up, Fear, or else I would have killed them myself," the jester laughed.

"I don't see why you didn't," Fear, tossing his huge head. "They're nothing but trouble."

The jester sighed. "Too true…" He turned to the last of their little demon posse, a male who leaned against the shadowed wall nearby, almost swallowed completely by the darkness. "What do you think, Pain? To kill, or not to kill?"

The demon, Pain, shrugged carelessly. He was a handsome demon, nearly human in appearance, with mussed bronze hair and deep, malicious copper eyes. He was garbed in blazing orange, from the leather vest strapped closed with spikes, to the loose set of hakamas adorning his lower half. At his waist, hanging securely from his belt, was a whip that looked as dangerous as the demon himself. "It's a waste of time to bother killing them," he said. "He'll only bring them back." His head jerked toward another shadowed being amongst them.

"Indeed, you're correct, Pain." A human voice had spoken from beneath the billowing cloak it wore. "Kill the Misery demons and you'll only be wasting your time." His robe was royal, midnight blue, trimmed in rich gold. The hood was up, hiding his face, so that only a sharp, white goatee could be seen on the tip of his chin. Bony, veined hands reached up and pulled back the hood, revealing an old, nearly-bald man. What hair he did have grew from the sides of his head, stretching out like two curving horns. His face was ancient, but still sharp, intelligent, dangerous. "Defy me and you'll know the true meaning of miseryS."

The jester spat venomously. "You're not my master!"

The old man only closed his eyes for a second before opening them again and calmly replying, "But I am the man who brought you back from oblivion, and I am the one who is to bring your real master back. For the resurrection of Evil to happen, you must be patient, Nightmare, and abide by me. After all, Evil will not be as easy to bring back to this world as I had done with you seven."

"Whatever old man, don't remind us," Nightmare growled dourly. "To think that we needed a human to bring us back from the dead is disgusting. But, I guess I can be patient- for a little while, at least. I've waited 3 years to get my revenge on the brats who killed me; I can wait a little while longer."

"Yeah, yeah, Nightmare. We've heard it all before," drawled a teasing young voice from above. Down from the rafters fell a young demon-boy, looking no older than 12, accompanied by a cracked lantern that glowed only murky black light. He was dressed in ragged green robes caked with grime, his matted hair only just blond through the layers of dirt and blood soaked through. "You're just mad 'cause they killed you first!"

Nightmare bristled, diving for the kid. "You little brat! Say that to my face, Lost! I dare you!"

"They killed you! They killed you! The stupid, ugly humans killed you!" Lost sang, dancing out of Nightmare's reach. "You were the first to go because you were too slow and stupid to stop them!"

"Stupid and slow!" "Stupid and slow!" The demon-twins cheered together, moving to high-five each other, only to miss and smack each other in the faces.

Fear growled in annoyance, "Retards…"

"Silence, all of you!" yelled the old man.

"What for?!" Nightmare demanded viciously, dropping Lost from the strangle-hold he held him captive in. "We killed everyone in this pathetic town! There's no reason to be quiet!"

"For my own sanity, be silent," ordered the man.

Pain kneeled before a pair of corpses, his fingers swirling through their thick, drying blood. "A town full of humans and not one of them even posed a threat to us." He stared at the two bodies lying next to one another, their hands intertwined even in death. One of them was a middle-aged man with white hair. His right arm was strangely different from his left; his right looked downright inhuman, in fact. It looked more like a powerful demon's arm. His left hand held onto a middle-aged brunette woman. "I had even heard rumors of this human," Pain murmured as he continued to stare at the dead man. "Nero was his name, I believe… I had though he would pose more of a challenge."

"That's humans for you," Nightmare shrugged. "Full of disappointments."

"And that girl…" Pain paused to recall her name.

"Kyrie," the scarlet demon-woman hissed. She picked some crusted blood out from beneath her nails. "I killed her. She barely put up a fight."

"It's hard to believe these weak little creatures were supposed to be guardians of this town and the treasure we seek," Pain sighed.

Nightmare turned back to the old man and asked, "What exactly are we looking for anyway, old man?"

"We are looking for the ancient demon sword known as Yamato; the sword that the brother of the legendary devil hunter once wielded with tremendous power. With this sword in our possession, we can bring back your master and rule not only Japan, but the whole world." The old man leered sinisterly at the seven demons, adding, "And with this sword, you can take your revenge upon the two that killed you all."

Suddenly, one of the little demon creatures accidentally bumped into something on the wall, squeaking and falling back. A mechanism was activated, old, dusty cogs groaning and shifting into place, just as a crease appeared in the floor, a large lift down sinking down into a hidden cavern below. The robed man hurried to the lift, boarding it as it sunk down into the earth, but the demons simply took to the air and descended behind him at their own pace.

"What the hell is this place?" Fear growled, eyes darting about. An underground lake stretched out before them as jagged stalagmites and stalactites stretching from the ground and ceiling like fangs from a great monster. But what drew the eyes of the demons and human alike was a magnificent katana sheathed in a black scabbard inscribed with ancient text and symbols. The handle was white, and smooth as silk; the hilt made of pure gold. The magnificent weapon hovered before them like magic and power refined.

Slowly the old man approached the sword, stopping before it to adore its power. He reached out a hand and grabbed it from its hovering position. He held the sword in his hands. Slowly his lips began to curve into a malicious smile and he began to laugh. Slowly, he drew the sword from its sheath and as he did so a powerful force erupted from the sword sending a powerful shockwave through the cavern. The seven demons back on the lift had to take defensive positions to keep from being blown away.

The old man, who was still laughing, looked back at the demons with wild glee in his eyes. "With this we can bring Evil back! We can resurrect him!" He then raised the sword high into the air and screamed,

"WITH THIS SWORD EVIL SHALL RETURN!! PREPARE YOURSELVES, FOR THE SAVIOR IS COMING!!"

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"How dare you, you little heartless mortal! Over 200 people have just been murdered and you still refuse to help us?! I would kill you right here, right now, if I could!" shrieked an irate woman. Her fists came down on the desk she stood before, punching two gouges through the wood. Aside from her raging fury, she was an ethereal beauty, garbed in a dress of billowing snow-white and light-blue silk, bejeweled with crystal buttons of stars and moons. Long, stark-white hair cascaded down from her head, gathering around her feet in pools of swirling tresses; a strange braid of black stood out boldly in front of her left her- she was tugging on it anxiously. Her skin was very pale as moonlight, but her face was inhumanly beautiful, life glowing from every pore, her large, black eyes alive with her passionate anger.

"But you can't kill me, so go on and find someone else to bother," responded a voice as cool and calm as could be when faced with the wrath of a being so ultimately powerful. The voice belonged to the reclining man behind the desk, his feet propped up on the top. He was young, perhaps 21, with a sharp, pale face and piercing dark blue eyes. He was wearing a white shirt and black dress jackets and blue jeans. He had dark brown hair, spiky in the back but long in the front; long enough that his bangs nearly covered his eyes.

"There is no one else," seethed the spirit-woman.

"That's not my problem. I gave up the business a long time ago. Besides, you're all-powerful essences aren't you? Why can't you handle it?"

Without a word of warning, a blade of quicksilver formed in the woman's hand and she launched herself across the desk. While no normal person would have been able to deflect the attack, the man moved like lightening to defend himself- only to have the blade pass through him as if it was made of nothing. Jerking her arm back, flicking the useless blade back into the nothingness it was summoned from, the woman slumped dourly while the man she attacked took a moment to realize what had happened.

"One of the limitations of being an essence is that you can't destroy what is in your domain," the woman said darkly. "Lest you've forgotten that, Zero."

Zero laughed lightly, running his hand over the place where the blade had passed. "No, of course not, Life."

"And you know that we cannot interfere with this world anymore. We can only give life and death. We are not permitted to interfere with the mortal realm anymore, but that doesn't stop Death and I from giving a damn about those we are life and death to! Death is in the town at this moment guiding the souls of the murdered to the afterlife. Do you think we enjoy being forced to bare witness to their pain and misery and death?!"

Zero just sighed and closed his eyes. "Can't you get anyone else to do your little detective work or whatever? There are plenty of other powerful beings out there and you choose me out of all of them. Why don't you ask those two who saved the world last time?"

Life looked a little apprehensive, hesitating before speaking. "We have done enough damage to their lives when we did interfere with them, enough for a life time at least." Her dark eyes fell to the ground. "It had been three years and yet some still hold resentment in their hearts for what we put them through."

"But why me? If you can't get those two, why not get someone else then? You could get that guy, the reincarnation of Clow Reed- what's his name, Eriol, right? Why don't you get him and his girlfriend, I hear she's gotten pretty good at controlling her powers," Zero finished while pointing his finger in a matter of matter-of-factly way.

Again, Life bowed her head low and looked apprehensive, but before she could reply the young man already spoke up.

"Let me guess, somehow you managed to screwed this guy's life up too and now you don't want them to get involved because they had already done enough for you. Geez, sounds like you guys have screwed everyone over except me."

"Please Zero, you're the only one we can look to protect this world. You are the son of the Legendary Devil Hunter Dante, you must defend humanity just as he once did," Life pleaded, uncharacteristically humble.

Zero's eyes lost their calm demeanor, replaced with a serious, dark look. "I was the son of the Legendary Devil Hunter Dante, Life; that was until he died along with my mother. Now I'm nobody, just some guy running an old broken down store."

Life nodded solemnly, understandinglyS; as the essence of life, she knew all beings who were alive and within her domain, and she knew instantly of when someone left her domain for Death's. It was only a month ago when Zero's parents had made that journey. Her delicate hand reached out across the gap between them, but it was brushed aside.

"Don't, Life. I don't need your pity."

"Zero…"

Zero was the son of the Devil Hunter Dante, a half demon who made a promise to protect humanity against the forces of the underworld and evil. His mother was a demon woman named Trish who long ago helped Dante save the world. Zero, like Dante, was a half demon because he received part of his humanity from Dante, but he also received his demon powers from his father Dante and his mother Trish. Dante and Trish had both sacrificed their lives to prevent the Powerful Demon Sword, Yamato, from falling into the hands of an evil corrupt sorcerer named Sanctus. Zero learned of his parents' death from a man named Nero, a friend of Dante who came to Zero to return the sword to him, however Zero refused to take it because he didn't want to keep the reason his parents died with him. So he entrusted Nero to defend and guard the Sword Yamato.

Life only looked at the young man with sympathy in her eyes. She might not have been capable of feeling the mortal feelings Zero was subject to, but that did not make her insensitive to them. "That's not true Zero," she said softly. "You are Zero, the son of the Legendary Devil Hunter Dante, a man who dedicated his life to protecting the good and the innocent. Though he may be gone, his spirit and power lives within you. You are his legacy, Zero. Don't you understand?"

Zero only continued to look gloomy. He stood from his chair, moving to stare out the window at the full moon high in the night sky. He was thinking back to the night that Nero had come and told him the grim news.

Flash-back

"Are you Zero?" asked an old man.

"Yeah," replied the young man. He noticed the elderly man in front of him was holding something wrapped in a large cloth.

"My name is Nero," said the elderly man, "I was a friend of your father, Dante. I just wanted to return something."

"You were a friend?" asked Zero sarcastically. "What, did you guys get in a fight or something? Where is he- by the way? He said he would be back by today, but he hasn't shown up yet."

Nero only looked sadly at the young man before him, the news he came to tell laying on his shoulders like a heavy burden. He hesitated before he finally looked Zero straight in the eyes and spoke, "Zero, there's something you need to know about your father and mother," he started. "They're not coming back."

Zero's expression dropped from a sarcastic, goofy look to one of pure horror. Nero could actually feel the air around him stop moving for a second. Zero was speechless; he opened his mouth several times, but no words came out. He looked like he was on the verge of tears, but he held them back firmly. He looked back at Nero and managed to croak, "How did they die?"

Nero could only respond in a cold, sorrowful tone. "They sacrificed themselves to stop an evil man from obtaining this sword," he removed the cloth covering the Demon Sword Yamato, "they helped me destroy him, but at the cost of their lives. I think your father would have wanted you to have this. Zero, I'm so sorry."

Zero could only stare at the blade that was held out before him. He couldn't believe it, his parents were dead. He always though of them an invincible team, no one could take them down. But now he had to face facts. His parents were dead and he was now alone in this world. For the first time in his life, Zero wanted to cry, but he wouldn't let himself do it. He had always been trained never to cry for it showed weakness. So he did the only thing he could do. He clenched his fists tightly, gritting his teeth against the agony of misery that raged within him. His nails bit into the flesh of his palms, warm blood seeping across his fingertips, but he ignored it. Nero could sense the pain and anger of the young man, but he stayed silent; now was not the time to speak.

Eventually Zero calmed down a little and looked back at Nero and the sword. Slowly he took his hand and pushed the held out blade back to Nero. "Keep it. I don't want that thing here. I don't want to keep the very reason my parents died. If I could, I would rather destroy it." He then looked at Nero, "I'm entrusting it to you, it is yours to do with as you please. I don't want this damn thing near me."

Nero only looked at the young man before he nodded his head. "I understand."

Outside the building above the two men's heads glowed a bright red sign that spelled out Devil May Cry. As soon as Nero walked away, with the sword in hand, and Zero had closed the door, the D in Devil began to flash on and off before finally giving up and going out permanently.

End Flash-back

Zero and Life just stood in the dimly lit room for a long time, both completely silent. Life just continued to look at the young man with sadness in her eyes. She had known his parents for a long time. In fact, when Zero was born Dante had asked Life to be his godmother, even though she wasn't in reality real, she was only an essence. It didn't matter to Dante; he treated her and Death as if they were real people.

Suddenly, the air of the office charged with an aura of unimaginable, inhuman power. Both Life and Zero remained unfazed, though they looked up expectantly for the being they knew would appear. As the magic reached its zenith, a dark figure materialized like a tall shadow solidifying. It was taller than Life, male, but of the same kind as her; an essence. He was robed in black, barefoot like Life, and as frighteningly handsome as she was ethereally beautiful. Long midnight-black hair fell past his shoulders, let loose to sway at the curve of his lower back. A shocking braid of white hair stood out starkly against the rest over his raven tresses, lying innocently before his right earS. His skin was a deep, earthen hue, a tan that was beyond bronzeS, but his eyes were as pale as a pair of full moons- so light-blue as to be nearly white.

"Death!" said Life anxiously.

The being known as Death turned around, facing Life with a solemn, blank expression before speaking. "It's done."

Life hissed, hugging herself and clenching her eyes shut. "Oh, Death, no… An entire town…"

Death sighed, the weight of the world of the dead resting on his shoulders. "I'm sorry, Life. My job is done. They are in a better place now." The dark spirit's eyes flicked to Zero. "I take it you refuse to help us then, Zero."

Zero just turned around and faced the two spirits standing there before nodding.

"Very well," said Death, "then you do not wish to avenge your parents' deaths now do you?"

Zero froze in his place and his facial expression turned to surprise first then anger. "What the hell are you talking about?" he demanded

"The town that was just wiped out was Fortuna" said Death calmly.

'Fortuna' Zero thought, heart racing, 'that's where-'

"-Nero lived," said Death, finishing the thought. "Yes, and he is now gone from the living realm."

Zero was shocked once again, his face showing it.

"As I said," spoke Death, "everyone in Fortune is gone. Everyone."

"But why?" asked Life.

"Because, whoever did this wanted one thing and one thing only," Death said darkly.

"They wanted Yamato," finished Zero, who was now back to staring out the window at the moon, except his time he had a determined look on his face. "I take it you know who did this, Death?"

"Of course, but the restriction from interfering with mortal lives prevented me from intervening," said Death as he looked at Life. "I believe you would know very well seven little demons that I saw amongst the wreckage."

Life took a moment to think, and then her eyes when wide with shock before narrowing in blazing fury. "Those bastards! They just can't stay dead, can they?" she hissed viciously

Death's piercing white gaze fell upon Zero. "And with them was the same man your parents sacrificed their lives to destroy. Sanctus."

Zero clenched his fists in anger and gritted his teeth. Both Life and Death could feel his power increasing to a dangerous level. Zero was angry- no, even worse; he was pissed.

"Son of bitch can't stay dead huh?" he said, "looks like I'll have to take this guy down. Oh well, sucks to be him."

Both Life and Death looked at one another, Life smiling to Death as if she knew the outcome of this meeting all along. They both looked back at Zero, who was now crossing the room to a large cabinet behind the desk. He opened it, revealing a massive display of weapons and gear; boldly showcased was a red outfit, two custom-made handguns which read Ebony and Ivory, and a massive dark sword decorated with a dangerous looking skull. Below the sword read the title Rebellion.

Zero quickly took off his dress-jacket and collared shirt, reaching up for the red outfit. He put on the black undershirt first, and then he took the crimson silk long sleeved shirt and put it on. He pulled the sleeves up a bit so that his wrists and forearms were showing. Next he put on the black vest and buckled it, grabbing the pair of black gloves and slipped them over his hands, strapping them on tightly. After that, he grabbed the black chaps and slipped them over his jeans; a perfect fit, accompanied by the pitch-black boots he slipped on. Lastly, he removed the blood-red trench coat from where it was hanging, putting it on reverently. To top it all off, Zero took out his own black, torn up scarf and wrapped it around his face so that the bottom half was covered up, allowing the rest to flow behind him.

Life and Death glanced to one another, sad smiles ghosting their features.

"You look just like Dante," Life said softly. It was true; Zero was his father's son, the spitting image, with only Dante's hair now brown instead of white.

Zero ignored her, continuing as though the essences weren't there, taking down the two custom-made handguns hanging on the wall. One of them was a dull black color with the words Ebony carved on it in gold and the other was a polished silver with the words Ivory carved in gold as well. Zero twirled the guns in his hands like an expert and then holstered them. He finished off by taking down the sword called Rebellion from its hanging place. He stared in awe at its magnificence and the raw power that radiated from it. In his hands, it glowed an ominous red before he took twirled the sword in his hands, spinning it a few times, before sheathing it on his back.

"Does this mean you'll help us?" asked Death.

Zero looked at the two spirits and grinned, though they couldn't see it underneath his scarf. "Avenge my parents' deaths and kick some old guy's ass? Pssh, I take that over sitting here being bored any day."

However, before Life could yell in joy, the door to the building crashed open and a horrid beast fell into their midst. It was a being made of blobs of filth and goop, capped by a yellow jester's cap. One of its body parts was actually a massive knife with witch the creature used to drag itself. It stumbled into the building, quickly followed by more of the same creatures- except with different colored hats; some red, some blue, some green. They came in through the doors and the windows, shattering them as they dragged themselves in.

"Looks like I was followed here," Death said, observing the intruders with distain. "I assume they did not have time to recognize me or else they would have been as foolish as to send things after me."

"They probably thought you were some unlucky spirit running off to look for help," Zero shrugged.

"How unfortunate for them," Death replied as he and Life moved to dispel the demons with a wave of their hands.

Zero laughed, a smile stretching his face. "Oh, don't bother wasting your energy," he said, dismissing them. "You're my guests! Take a seat and let me deal with these rude little intruders- I'll be with you in a minute."

Life laughed. "Have fun!"

Without missing a beat, Zero drew his sword from his back and yelled at the approaching hoard of horrors.

"Cmon you freaks, let's rock!"

And he with that, the devil hunter dashed into the fray of oncoming demons, his sword held out triumphantly before him.

**Author's Note**

So what do you guys think so far? Do you like it or…, please leave a review and tell me what you think so far. I would really appreaciate it so please Read and Review. Thanks again. Stay tuned for next time we meet our two heroes again.


	2. Chapter 1: New Beginnings

Disclaimer: Just so everyone is clear on this

_Disclaimer_: Just so everyone is clear on this. I do not own CardCaptor Sakura. Also, I do not own any characters that are Devil May Cry, they belong CAPCOM.

_Second Disclaimer_: I also do not own the characters Life, Death, Miaka, Dren, Lost, Nightmare, Sorrow, Illness, Seduce, Fear, and Evil. They all belong to the genius mind of Hearts of Eternity. She is the one who created these awesome characters and she also owns the original concept of this timeline and the events. The only character that I personally own is Zero.

**Author's Note**: Being that this is a sequel of sorts to Hearts of Eternity's story _Links in a Chain_, it may be in your best interest to go back and read her story first. Otherwise, you may not know exactly what is going on or who some of the featured characters are.

**Author's Note II:** Sorry that this chapter is so short, I'm just getting everyone ready for the main event. Next chapter will have our favorite characters back as they prepare for the dinner party.

So, without further ado, please read and review, for both I and Hearts of Eternity are eager to see what you think. Do be gentle though…

**An Angel's Scream, A Devil's Cry**

**Chapter 1: New Beginnings**

The beautiful afternoon sky shone brightly over the peaceful town of Tomoeda. It was the kind of day where time slowed down to a crawl and the heat of the sun slowly baked into your bones and made you warm and content on the inside. Along the sidewalks, in the parks, the citizens of the town were out enjoying their blessed warm weather. Businessmen and women strolled out of their offices at lunch to take in some much needed natural light, while children scurried about freely, under the watchful gaze of their sun-soaked parents.

The joy of the day seemed especially bright in one particular young woman as she twirled her way freely down a cherry tree-lined street. She had a cute sun-hat on, shading her magnificent green eyes and keeping her shoulder-length auburn in a reasonably tame form. She was a radiant being, slim and smooth skinned, wearing a light cotton sun-dress that danced just above her knees and matched by a pair of dainty white sandals decorating her feet. She was a beauty all her own, but the smile that lit up her features was enough to put the sun to shame.

The reason Sakura Kinomoto was so happy: the dinner party she was hosting tonight, and all her family and closest friends were going to be in attendance.

It had been so long since any of them had had a chance to get together. Life was as busy as ever, if not more so when college was factored into the equation. While Sakura, Tomoyo, Syaoran, and Eriol all attended the same place, their conflicting schedules made it difficult for any of them to get together on a regular basis. The only consolation they had was that Sakura was able to share her dorm with Tomoyo while Syaoran shared suffered with Eriol. But, now that school was over for the year, the four of them had a much deserved vacation laid out before them. The first thing they had decided to do was have a dinner get-together. Much to Syaoran's dismay, Toya would be attending as well, along with Yukito of course.

At that very moment, preparations were being taken care of for the dinner; seven very special spirits had been sent ahead to the Kinomoto residence to tidy up the house, though, knowing them, they might make it an even worse mess than it had been before... Not that they were troublesome in any way- no, it was simply that they were a little _enthusiastic_ at times. They cared deeply for their masters, just as Sakura and Syaoran held a special place in their hearts for them, just as they held a place for all of the cards in their hearts. Cleaning the Kinomoto house was only a small drop in the bucket of what the spirits were willing to do for their masters.

As Sakura continued her jaunt home, her name suddenly caught her attention- someone was calling to her. Peering around, she caught sight of another young woman on the street, a beautiful raven-haired girl with skin as pale as a china doll's. Her sparkling amethyst eyes matched the purple polo-shirt she had on, paired with a pair of white shorts. Her pony-tailed hair swung about wildly as she waved to Sakura, and Sakura returned the gesture in kind.

"Hi Tomoyo!"

Tomoyo grinned, finally dropping her hand. "Sakura! It's been a while, hasn't it?"

The auburn haired girl shrugged. "Life's like that," she replied. "I'm really excited for tonight, though. It's just been so long since we've all spent some time together, I think we deserve it."

"You're right, we do," Tomoyo sighed. "Everyone's been so busy lately; I've hardly seen or heard from Eriol at all."

"Syaoran's the same- I hardly ever see him anymore," Sakura pouted. "I'm fixing that tonight though!"

Tomoyo laughed. "You planning on keeping him all to yourself tonight?" she teased. A blush as bright as cherries erupted across the other girl's face. Despite all the time that had passed, Sakura and Syaoran were still as timid with each other as ever. Tomoyo only grinned wider with Sakura's adorable embarrassment; it was a moment that deserved to be captured on film.

Sakura quickly noticed the camera lens glinting in her face and she tried to duck away. "Oh, Tomoyo! Do you have to do that right now?"

The raven haired girl only smiled even wider, circling Sakura like a bird of prey. "But it's been _so long_ since I've gotten to record anything, and you're just too cute to pass up!" she said. "Besides, I've been wanting to try out my new video camera for a while now- the resolution is simply amazing!"

Sakura only sweat-dropped at her friend's excitement over her new video camera; after all, she just wouldn't be Tomoyo if she wasn't recording every moment of Sakura's life. It was then that the young auburn haired woman noticed the bag in Tomoyo's hands.

"Hey, what this? What do you got there?" she asked, pointing to the brown bag.

Tomoyo looked down to see what she was pointing at and then looked back up with glee in her eyes. "Oh it's nothing; just a bag of groceries. I thought maybe you might need some help getting ready for tonight and decided to lend a hand."

Sakura frantically raised her hands in protest, "Oh no Tomoyo, I couldn't possibly ask that of you. You're the guest, you just relax and I'll get everything ready. Nightmare and Lost and everyone are already at the house setting everything up! You don't have to worry about a thing!"

"Don't be silly, Sakura, just hearing that you've left those poor creatures alone to their own devices in your house only worries me more!" she teased, laughing as Sakura only grew more flustered. "You might not even have a house to go home to!"

"Oh, no, no! They're fine, I swear!" Sakura retorted quickly, waving her hands before her as if to ward off Tomoyo's proposed help. "They promised they'd be good, and Nightmare is really good at keeping everyone in line- _sort of_… And Pain is there too, so I'm sure they won't have any big problems."

"I'm sure that they're all doing a fine job, Sakura, but you're still my best friend and nothing would make me happier than to help you!" Tomoyo insisted. "I promise, I won't get in the way, and I'll be quiet as a mouse! I just don't want to be stuck on the couch doing nothing while you and the spirits do all the hard work."

Sakura smiled warmly, the remnants of her blush still lighting her cheeks. "Alright, you can help," she relented, and then gave her friend a quick hug. "Thanks."

"No problem. That's what friends are for," Tomoyo laughed. "C'mon, we've got a lot to do before everyone arrives." And with that they took off to get ready for the party.

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Tomoeda International Airport was busy as it always was. Hundreds upon hundreds of people were hustling and bustling, quickly rushing here and there, all just trying to get to their gates before their planes left. Some people just lounged about on the benches, while others wasted their time away in the little gift shops or eateries, all waiting for the flights to come in. The place was a sea of blended faces.

However, one young man stood out in particular to the rest of the passengers milling around. He was carrying a large guitar case in one hand. To the naked eye, anyone would have just guessed that it only held a guitar inside for playing songs, but instead it held the complete opposite. Inside rested a massive sword with a skull near the grip of the blade. Stacked neatly next to it were a pair of custom-made handguns which read _Ebony and Ivory_, and lastly was a sawed-off shotgun with a inscription carved on the handle that read _Coyote-A_.

Zero yawned sleepily as he tossed the weapon-holding guitar case over his back. The woman he was walking with looked a little annoyed as she glanced over at him.

"Are you always this sleepy?" she asked curtly. She was much older than Zero, her black hair cut short above her shoulders with some certain areas already beginning to gray. Her skin was a perfect tan and surprisingly smooth for her age; not a single wrinkle to be seen. She had pair of sunglasses on, but underneath one would notice that her right eye was red and her left was blue. She had raven-hued lipstick on, which matched her inky-black dress coat and pants, and went perfectly with the pair of dangerously clacking stilettos she wore.

Anyone would have taken her for some business-woman making her way to an office for a meeting, but that would have changed upon seeing the arsenal of weapons that she kept hidden beneath her garments. Two pairs of pistols were holstered to her above her blouse, obscured by her jacket, both in front and back. Underneath her sleeves rested two compact shotguns capable of sliding into her hands upon request. An ammunition belt beneath her pants housed both a pair of two sub-machine guns and a rack of high explosive grenades. She walked briskly, though, like there was not the slightest thing strange about her at all. She seemed very calm except for the annoyed glances she kept throwing at Zero.

"Hey gimme a break Lady," said Zero while yawning once again. "I just got off a 12 hour flight so I'm a little jetlagged. Besides I didn't even get much sleep on the way here because of your constant bickering."

The older woman named Lady only shot Zero another glare. "Geez, you act just like your father, always lazying about."

Zero only smiled and winked at the older woman. "I'll take that as a compliment."

Soon they approached a security checkpoint and had to stand in line to be searched. Neither Zero nor Lady seemed the least bit worried about their weapons being discovered, and for good reason too. Before leaving, Zero created a magical field around his guitar case and around Lady's clothes and purse so that they would not trigger any metal detectors and upon an X-Ray inspection would project an illusion of a guitar inside the case and for Lady a purse full of make-up.

After the uneventful search, which involved a lot of people looking at Zero strangely because of his boldly red devil hunting attire, the two Devil Hunters stood outside the airport waiting for their rides to pick them up, well at least Lady was. A large limousine parked itself by the curb and Lady began to approach it. She opened the door and before entering looked back at Zero and smiled.

"Sorry kid, but this is where we part ways. I got some personal business to attend to so, see ya later!" And with that she winked at Zero, entered the limo, and seconds later sped off.

Zero only shook his head in annoyance. He looked toward the limo speeding off and yelled sarcastically, "No it's okay, I'll just walk from here!"

His yell only fell on deaf ears as everyone just ignored him and continued about their business. Zero swung his weapons-case over his shoulder again and began to walk off.

'Great,' he thought, 'how the hell am I supposed to get anywhere now' but his mindset quickly changed upon seeing the Car Dealership next to the Arrival Terminal of the airport. What caught his eye even more than the shop itself was the beautiful crimson and black, street-racing motorcycle on display.

'Hmmm' thought Zero as his lips formed into a smirk, 'I'm sure nobody will mind...'

It was 4:00 in the afternoon and Takashi and Chiharu were happily strolling around the Tomoeda International Airport Car Dealership. They had spent the last 2 hours shopping around for a new car and had finally made a good deal. They were going to buy an amazing silver convertible sports-car and were now just waiting for the dealer to finalize the papers. Waiting outside the office; soon the door opened to reveal the dealer smiling happily with a pair of keys in his hand.

"Mr. Takashi, Ms. Chiharu I am glad to tell you that you are now both ready to ride off in your brand new Mustang Sports-Convertible."

Both Takashi and Chiharu had massive grins painted on their faces as they got into their new car. Takashi quickly inserted the key into the ignition, but before he could start it up, a loud roar echoed through the whole building. The roar grew louder and soon they both realized it was coming from behind them.

They dared a glance back and their eyes snapped wide in surprise as they saw a black and crimson motorcycle jump one of the ramps and soar above them and their new car. A young man in a blood-red trench-coat with a guitar case on his back could be seen riding the motorcycle for a moment before he smashed through the front window display and rode off into the sunset.

A shocked silence permeated the dealership for a long time afterward. It was as if time stopped, leaving everyone frozen to their spot, staring wide-eyed out the broken window display after the motorcycle thief.

Chiharu, upon realizing that a 300-pound vehicle just flew inches above her head, looked to Takashi with helplessly wide eyes. "Did that just happen..?"

"Yeah, I think it did…"

Without another word, she fainted into the front seat of her new car.

**Author's Note**

So guys, and ladies of course, what do you think. I know it's a short chapter and its not very exciting, but I just want to re-introduce everyone and some new events that will begin to happen especially in the next chapter. Here's a little spoiler: It involves Eriol and Tomoyo.

Anyway please leave a review because Hearts and I really want to know what you guys think. See ya later…


	3. Chapter 2: A Grand Proposal

Disclaimer: Just so everyone is clear on this

_Disclaimer_: Just so everyone is clear on this. I do not own CardCaptor Sakura. Also, I do not own any characters that are Devil May Cry, they belong CAPCOM.

_Second Disclaimer_: I also do not own the characters Life, Death, Miaka, Dren, Lost, Nightmare, Sorrow, Illness, Seduce, Fear, and Evil. They all belong to the genius mind of Hearts of Eternity. She is the one who created these awesome characters and she also owns the original concept of this timeline and the events. The only character that I personally own is Zero.

**Author's Note**: Being that this is a sequel of sorts to Hearts of Eternity's story _Links in a Chain_, it may be in your best interest to go back and read her story first. Otherwise, you may not know exactly what is going on or who some of the featured characters are.

Anyway, here's the second chapter, and for you Tomoyo and Eriol fans, something big is going to happen so get ready…

**An Angel's Scream, A Devil's Cry**

**Chapter 2: A Grand Proposal**

In the late afternoon, with dinner time looming close of the horizon, two men were still out walking through the streets, one looking completely at peace as he strolled along at his own pace, the other looking a little frazzled as he peered into different shop windows, scrutinizing the wares within.

In absolutely no rush, much to Syaoran's annoyance, Eriol just kept watching him amusedly. "So, Syaoran…" the sorcerer began, the lilt in his voice ever-teasing, "find what you were looking for yet?"

Naturally, the only response the sorcerer received was an irritated growl as Syaoran tried valiantly to ignore his companion, continuing vainly in his search for a gift.

Chuckling lightly, Eriol adjusted his glasses, and then ran a hand through his lovely dark tresses. It didn't matter how old either he or Syaoran got, there would always be some things that stayed the same. Even if they were a little taller, a little more mature, and a little more wise about the world, Syaoran would always be Syaoran, aggravated by the there presence of Eriol, and Eriol would always be Eriol, happy to do everything in his power to be the aggravator.

"Do you want me to help you look?" Eriol offered lightly, trailing behind Syaoran by a few steps.

"No."

"Two sets of eyes are better than one, though."

"I don't _need_ your help," Syaoran grunted as he passed from one window to the next.

"Well, I'm offering anyways," Eriol shrugged. "Just tell me what you're looking for and I'll help."

An exasperated sigh rose from the warrior. "To tell you the truth, Hiiragisawa, I really don't know _what_ I'm looking for. It's just… I haven't been able to spend a lot of time with Sakura lately and I want to get her something to make up for it. You know, something special for her to let her know that I still lover her-."

"Of course she knows you still love her. You don't need to get her a gift to let her know that," Eriol reassured.

"I know, I know… I just- I really want to get her something special to let her know how special she is to me." Another sigh passed his lips and he fell back onto a nearby bench, slumping in defeat. It was too sad a sight for Eriol to leave alone, so he wandered over and allowed himself to place a hand gently on the warrior's shoulder.

"You know Syaoran," he began, "I think the greatest gift you could give her would to just be there for her. You know she loves you more than anything and you feel the same way for her, so I'm sure she won't mind if you just get her something normal."

Syaoran looked up to his friend, considering the option of 'something normal.' "You're right, but still…I just want to get her something, something special to show her I care." The young chest-nut haired man let out a sigh and looked over to Eriol and asked, "What about you? Aren't you going to get Tomoyo something?"

A devious light sparkled from behind the sorcerer's glasses. "Oh, I've got something for her," he replied cryptically. "Let's just say that it's a little something that will change her life forever."

Syaoran rolled his eyes at the semi-cryptic message. "If you didn't want to tell me what you got her, you could have just said so," he said flatly.

Eriol only continued to grin mischievously. "That would have taken all the fun out of it though," he laughed. "I want this to be an absolute surprise, so nobody can find out until tonight."

Syaoran only shrugged. "Whatever you say, Hiiragisawa. The only thing I'm concerned about right now is what to get Sakura."

"Maybe you'll find what you're looking for when you least expect it," Eriol laughed.

Syaoran pushed himself up off the bench, patting invisible dust out of his pants. "I don't think so," he replied gloomily. "Things like that don't-," a glimmer of something in a shop window caught his eye, "-happen…"

Eriol rose to his feet as well, following his friend's gaze. He laughed. "You were saying?"

Ignoring the dark-haired man for the moment, Syaoran wandered over to the window to admire the beautiful piece of jewelry that had caught his eye. _"It's perfect."_

"Then get it," Eriol urged, smiling.

Syaoran glanced back, a half-smile playing on his lips. "That's exactly what I'm going to do."

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"So, Sakura, what are you going to wear tonight?" asked a curious Tomoyo as the two women stood on the stoop of the Kinomoto residence.

"Um… no idea, really," replied a timid Sakura. "Something nice?"

Tomoyo could only cluck her tongue in disapproval. "Oh, Sakura, we can't have that, now can we? Just leave it to me; I've got the perfect dress for you to wear." Her amethyst eyes sparkled with a mischievous light that was all too reminiscent of Eriol's.

"You always have something up your sleeve, don't you?" Sakura laughed, balancing her groceries in one arm so that she could turn the knob to her house.

"You know me too well, Sakura," Tomoyo replied.

As the door slipped open, a loud squeal of joy resounded through the house before a rush of green robes and a head of golden hair zoomed out the door and straight into Sakura. The blur of energy that had buried itself into Sakura's chest and was hugging her ecstatically vaguely resembled that of a golden-haired young boy with a royal circlet encircling his head.

"Miss Sakura! Miss Sakura! You're back! I'm so glad you've returned!"

Sakura, who was now on the ground, giggled and lightly hugged the little boy back. "Lost, I was only gone for a few minutes."

The young spirit boy named Lost just continued to hug her.

"I know, but I was just so worried about you!"

The young emerald-eyed woman gave the little boy a warm smile. "It's ok, Lost, don't worry. I'm back now, and look who I brought home."

Lost looked up with his bright blue eyes and saw Tomoyo waving at him happily. The little boy grinned even wider and leapt up into her arms and hugged her tightly, too. "Miss Tomoyo! How are you? I'm so glad you came!"

The raven-haired woman only giggled and hugged the little spirit back. "I'm glad to be here, Lost. It's been so long since I've seen you! Have you grown?"

Lost laughed, pulling away to look the woman in the face. "Miss Tomoyo, you know I don't grow any!" he exclaimed, scolding her lightly for forgetting; he was exactly the same as the day he'd been created.

"Really?" Tomoyo asked, mock-surprised. "I could have sworn you've gotten a little cuter!" She nuzzled him playfully as the spirit giggled and tried to escape.

Sakura picked herself up off the ground and gathered her fallen groceries. "It does seem like he's gotten a little cuter now, hasn't it?" she said.

Lost's eyes lit up fantastically with the mere thought of his mistress thinking he had gotten cuter. His entire body simply radiated joy. "Yayyy! Miss Sakura thinks I'm cute!"

"You're also a royal pain in the neck," someone intone from the doorway, though the voice was light, teasing. An unusual looking young man leaned against the door frame, his skin tinted with the lightest shade of pale, pale blue. He eyes were dark pools of navy, the same shade as his curly hair, and matching the strange glyphs beneath his eyes. Even his robes were of different shades of blue, accented by deep strips of black, with patterns of bats scattered across it. "I've been looking for you everywhere, pip-squeak."

Lost simply scrunched up his face and blew the other spirit a raspberry. "I've been having fun with Miss Sakura and Miss Tomoyo!"

"Well party's over, kid; if everyone else still has to work, than you do too."

"Oh, Nightmare, lighten up," Sakura teased. "He's only a little boy."

Nightmare sighed and shook his head. "He's as old as I am, Miss Sakura," he replied tiredly. "He just doesn't _act_ like it."

"You ruin everything, you big jerk," Lost pouted, pushing himself out of Tomoyo's hold. He didn't fall to the ground, though, as an impossibly large lantern zipped through the door and caught the little boy in mid-air. Lost hugged it and hung on as it hovered in midair. Since all of the other spirits had their signature weapons and outfits, Sakura and Syaoran decided that Lost certainly needed his lantern back. It took a lot of effort to create a magical lantern like the one the little spirit had lost long ago, but it was the least they could do to help him for all the things he had done for them. Since the moment Lost had received his new lantern, he'd been in love with it.

"Yeah, yeah, I'm a party-pooper, I've heard it all before," Nightmare sighed, his arm suddenly melting into a strange misty-liquid substance and stretching out to nab Lost's lantern and drag him in. "Just get in the house before a mundane sees you floating around like that."

Once Lost was in, the rest of Nightmare's body dissolved into the strange, unidentifiable blue substance, much to Lost's indignation and a stubborn utterance of "_hypocrite_," and slithered over to gather to groceries from Sakura and Tomoyo. "Allow me to take those," Nightmare said, his voice emanating from the shifting blue mass.

All too used to the strange quirks her spirits possessed, Sakura just smiled and handed over what she held. "You're too kind, Nightmare," Sakura said warmly.

"It is my pleasure, Miss Sakura," Nightmare replied, slithering into the house and making his way to the kitchen. The two girls followed after, admiring what the spirits had done to the inside of the house. It was _clean_. Not just average clean, but gleaming, see-your-reflection-in-the-floor _clean_.

"I am very happy that you have come back," Nightmare said amiably as he deposited the groceries on the counter and reformed, his kind, dark eyes on his Mistress. "I hope you had a nice trip."

"It was good to see the town again," Sakura replied warmly, moving to assist the spirit in putting the food away. "It's been so long since we've last seen it."

"Yes, it certainly has," Nightmare agreed softly.

Lost cooed from his perch on his lantern. "I've missed it here. I really like Tomoeda."

"Me too," Sakura said, smiling. "It will always be my home."

Lost swooped down and pecked his mistress on the cheek. "And our home is where you are."

Tomoyo giggled, adoring how cute Sakura and her spirits were together. Deciding to move the conversation along, the raven-haired woman stepped up to the counter to offer her own hand in putting the groceries away. "How has being stuck here all day been for you, Nightmare?" she asked lightly, peering up at the spirit as he suddenly floated a few feet off the ground in order to reach the top of the spice shelf.

In his usual fashion, Nightmare smiled cordially, tipping his head. "I would say that I have not had anything out of the ordinary happen, Miss Tomoyo," he replied evenly. "Nothing beyond the usual frustrations of dealing with a pack of creatures bent on driving the bats right off of my robes."

Both girls laughed, glancing to each other amusedly. After three years of getting used to the peculiar dynamics each spirit help with the others of their tight knit group of seven, it was plain to see that Nightmare greatly exaggerated the pains he went to keep his charges in line. While he had long ago lost his role as leader to Pain when the orange spirit first succumbed to Evil, the lost still stinging to this day, Nightmare never lost his propensity to take care of his spirits, nor had they lost their inclination to follow him- and make trouble, as the younger ones were prone toS.

Sakura laid a gentle hand on Nightmare's shoulder. "I'm sure Lost and the Twins weren't that bad," she said lightly.

Nightmare made a piteous noise, shooting a rueful glance towards Lost. "It just so happens that the pip-squeak decided to use his powers to make everything of use and importance to me utterly disappear," the older spirit informed. "Not to mention, a certain set of Twins have been nothing but havoc on this house. I set them to chores in the basement where their damages would best be contained."

Sakura laughed, her eyes dancing to where Lost continued to bob innocently in the air. "You weren't doing that to poor Nightmare, were you?" she asked. "I didn't think asking you to tidy up while I was out would cause you to be so troublesome."

Lost looked thoroughly abashed, lantern drooping. "I didn't mean to be troublesome," he mumbled.

"Well, you were," Nightmare chastised curtly, nose in the air.

Lost's gaze flickered to his mistress, who watched him with sparkling green eyes that he loved more than life itself; deciding he best make it up to Nightmare for his misbehavior for Sakura's sake, the little spirit floated over to his fellow spirit and wrapped his small arms around the lightly-blue neck. "Sorry, Nightmare…"

Nightmare's stern expression melted into fondness for the imp. "It's alright, little one," he replied, ruffling Lost's soft-as-down blond hair. "Why don't you go down into the basement and gather Sorrow and Illness. I'm sure they are too caught up in whatever game they've created for themselves to have even realized Miss Sakura has returned."

Glad for something to do, Lost nodded, floating away with a friendly wave to Tomoyo and a second peck on the cheek for Sakura.

Sakura watched the little one disappear down the steps to the basement before turning back to Nightmare. "Thank you so much for doing all that you have done today. I don't know how I would have gotten this whole house cleaned if it wasn't for you."

"It's not a problem Miss Sakura," replied the blue spirit. "It is an honor to assist you in any way we can."

Tomoyo wandered out of the kitchen, taking in the further splendor of the rest of the house. She gasped as her eyes caught sight of the living room. "Oh, Sakura, you have to see this," she breathed.

The sorceress was quick to trot to her friend's side, peering into her living with abject awe written over her face. The once tame living room had been transformed into a shining, sparkling jewel of festivity, decorated beautifully with flowers, balloons, streamers, and a huge banner of pink and green hung from the ceiling with the words _Welcome Home! _painted on it.

Nightmare took to his mistress's side, looking hopeful. "I hope this is to your liking," he said softly.

"_It's amazing,"_ said Sakura. "It's so- well, it's breath-taking! I can't believe you all put this together while I was away!"

Tomoyo wandered in the living room, her fingertips reaching for the silken petals of the fragrant flowers arranged in brightly painted vases. A soft voice at the door halted her movement.

"Please resist disturbing those flowers," Pain whispered. His voice was as soft as ever. "Seduce spent much time arranging them and she would hate to see her work disturbed."

Tomoyo acquiesced to the request, drawing her fingers back.

Seeing that nothing else was disturbed in the room, the fearsome spirit padded towards his mistress, the claws that grew from his toes and heels clicking smartly on the floor as his cat-like copper eyes surveyed her coolly.

"I take it you approve of the decorations?" he asked. Up close, he was a towering spirit, easily taller than Syaoran, the effect enhanced by the three great horns growing from his head. He was a deep shade of orange-tan, not offset by the burst of wild orange hair that sprouted every which way from his head. He was garbed in a single item of clothing, a loose pair of autumn orange hakamas accompanied by his whip on his hip. Armor of an unidentifiable, polished metal layer his shoulders and forearms, cut specially so as to not inhibit the large, curved spikes that grew from his arms, shoulders, and down his spine.

Before the young emerald-eyed woman could reply, two streaks shot through the room like lightning- one lemon yellow, the other light lavender. Shrill shrieks of overjoyed laughter bubbled through the room, followed by a flash of wisp o' the willow blue light and Lost's giddy giggling. In a heap of frills and ribbons and tangled limbs, the Twins of Misery landed spectacularly before Sakura, clamoring for her attention. Their dresses were rumpled from frolicking in the basement, likewise for their pigtailed hair. Illness's luminous yellow eyes goggled at her mistress in awe as her sister swoon happily.

"I got them!" Lost announced triumphantly, swooping in to secure a hug from his mistress as a reward.

"_**Miss Sakura! Miss Sakura!"**_ they cried joyously. _"We painted the banner!" _**"And we hung the streamers!"** _"And blew up the balloons!" _**"And picked the flowers!" **They hugged each other ecstatically, their large, wide eyes glazed with glee and insanity. _**"We hope you like it!" **_

Sakura fell to her knees with her arms open for the three of them. "I love it!" she cried, letting her arms be filled with excited, chattering spirits. Happy kisses rained across her cheeks and a tangle of stick-like arms fought their way around her. Poor Lost suffered his fate caught in between his mistress and the twins, his face pressed securely to her chest.

Nightmare gave a huff of annoyance, back to his usual fussing over his charges and his mistress. "Stop that you two. Give poor Miss Sakura room to breathe" he scolded lightly, plucking the Twins of Misery away. Lost, finally released, tumbled to the floor in a heap of green robes.

Tomoyo just looked at the spirit with a smile and said, "It's okay, Nightmare. Sakura can take all the love you guys can throw at her." Then she peered around, suddenly curious. Everyone was present in the living room except for- "Where's Fear and Seduce?"

Nightmare tapped his chin lightly, aura already searching for the elusive duo. "They're both outside in the back yard," he informed. "I believe decorating the backyard has been their duty ever since Seduce finished in here."

"Well then," said Sakura cheerfully as she stood back up, "let's go take a look."

Everyone proceeded to the sliding glass door that led into the back yard. Nightmare had to grab the Twins and guide them through the door since they insisted on floating crookedly through the house. Pain, who stood at an easy seven feet from the tip of his horns to the bottom of his clawed feet, had to retract his lengthy horns back into his skull to get himself through the doorway.

Just as the living room had been, the yard had been transformed into a paradise- a masterpiece of beauty and festivity. It was a haze of white and pink flowers, of green lanterns and carefully braided streamers. In the center of the amazing garden stood an ornate table covered by a white table-cloth decked out in the most extravagant pieces of silver-ware ever created. Everything, from the glasses to the plates to the utensils, was spotless. To top it all off, the center of the table was decorated with a massive bouquet of different kinds of beautiful flowers.

A delicate rustling brought the onlookers back to reality as they realized the objects of their search were in the corner of the yard, Seduce balanced precariously on Fear's head as he lifted her so she could hand one last lantern from a branch. Settling the delicate lantern on the branch, the stunningly beautiful spirit kissed it, lighting the lantern with a bright, warm glow.

Though Fear's head was completely covered by the long, trailing hem of his lover's kimono, rendering him blind, he stood steady, and when the signal came for him to lower her, he did so devotedly with careful precision.

"It's beautiful isn't it?" asked Seduce as she glided from her spot between Fear's golden horns, allowing the dragon to see once more.

Fear breathed a long, suffering sigh, staring up at the lighted tree, scrutinizing it. "I suppose," he replied, shrugging as much as a dragon could shrug. "I still say we should have went with the skull lanterns that had those enchanted snakes and spiders crawling through them."

Seduce rolled her fantastically scarlet eyes. "Those would frighten any poor dear that happened along," she chastised softly, petting Fear's snout soothingly. "Now is the time for fun and celebration, not scaring the wits out of humans."

"I'm The Fear Card, remember?" he grumped stubbornly, allowing his downy fur to be stroked. "Clow Reed created me to be fearsome, not some cutesy little lap dog hanging cutesy little lanterns from trees."

"Which is why I am quite glad Clow Reed created me the way I am, with more wit than you have fur," Seduce quipped lightly. "I think the lanterns I chose are beautiful."

Fear sighed, rolling his azure eyes. "Fine, fine, I'll admit they're beautiful," he said, as if it cost him a great deal to say it. Then he dipped his long neck so as to encompass his lover in a dragon-version of a hug. "But they're not a beautiful as you are." Being as arrogant as he was sometimes, Fear certainly knew how to make Seduce feel special. She hummed contentedly, enjoying her beastly company and bestowing a soft kiss to his soft lips.

Nightmare, irked by their public display of affections, quickly got their attentionS. _"If you two don't mind-?"_ huffed the blue spirit.

They broke apart accordingly, Seduce sporting a perfect look of feigned innocence while her companion looked more than a little thwarted.

"Don't think I can't turn you inside out, blue-boy," threatened Fear, fangs glinting in the light.

Nightmare looked unimpressed. "Bring it on, GodzillaS," he challenged.

Much to both males' consternation, a sharp length of scarlet ribbon rose to their faces and slapped them until they reeled. "Don't be so outlandish, you two," Seduce warned icily. She turned her attentions to the newly arrived humans, gliding over to them gracefully. "Hello Miss Sakura, hello Miss Tomoyo. I'm glad to see you back home, I hope you like our decorations for tonight."

Both women just looked at one another and smiled wide.

"This place looks amazing," Sakura replied earnestly. "Everything looks so beautiful, it's like we're in a whole different home!" She then looked to all of them and bowed in thankfulness. "Thank you so much everyone for all your help. I appreciate everything you have all done. Thanks you so much, all of you!"

In the wake of her praise, the seven spirits beamed proudly.

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"Hey do you think we over did it on the whole dress code thing?" asked a nervous Syaoran as he loosened his collar on his dress shirt.

"Not at all," responded Eriol as they both stepped out of Syaoran's sports car. "I'm sure we both look fine." And he was _very_ right. As they stepped out of the car, a couple of girls walking by couldn't help but swoon just a little. It was quite a sight to see, with Syaoran bedecked in a fine pair od black dress pants and an enchantingly green dress shirt to match, while Eriol sported the same dress pants but a midnight blue shirt to suit his own tastes.

"I don't know Hiiragizawa," said a suspicious Syaoran as they both walked up the steps toward Sakura's front door, "you've been wrong before and you've also lied to me a few times here and there, so…."

Eriol just smiled on of his sly smiles before he responded, "Syaoran don't be silly, I would never lie to you."

Syaoran snorted, rolling his eyes. "Oh, please, that's a lie right there," he rebuked.

As Eriol open his mouth to deny the accusation, the door opened revealing Sakura standing with a warm smile on her face. She wore a magnificent ankle-length dress of the blackest, purest silk suspended up on her shoulders by two thin black straps, the enticing expanse of her back exposed. Her eyes alighted on Syaoran and a soft smile curled her full lips. As always, her stunning beauty left him breathless.

It was by mere stroke of luck that Nightmare appeared in the doorway at Sakura's shoulder, moving to bow in welcome to his master and Eriol. Before the spirit could mutter welcomes, Eriol slipped passed sakura into the house, hooking an arm around Nightmare's.

"Come, Nightmare, show me to where everyone's hiding," the sorcerer said jovially. He threw an impish look over his shoulder. "Let's leave those two to get reacquainted."

Nightmare looked as if he were about to object, but by his wits alone he sensed that his masters would like a moment alone so he allowed himself to be steered away.

Syaoran offered one of his rare, genuine smiles before he stepped toward his love. His amber eyes were like liquid as they looked the supple woman up and down, from toes to curves, to those very luscious lips of hers. Giving into temptation, he leaned down to place a searingly delicious kiss upon his girlfriend's oh-so-sweet lips. _"Hello Sakura."_

Even his words trembled temptingly inside her as the sorceress reveled in their closeness, sliding her body in to fit against her warrior's. Immediately, their auras began to mingle, letting astral sparks fly between them. "Hello Syaoran."

He leaned his head on hers so that their noses brushed and their breath stirred the other's hair. "I've missed you," he whispered.

"But we just saw each other a week ago, when school ended," she replied, poking him lightly in the chest.

"I know," said Syaoran, "but it just feels like an _eternity_ since I was able to hold you like this."

Sakura giggled a little before she said, "Well, you're holding me now."

He worshipped her beautiful eyes as they sparkled. "I know," he groaned in appreciation, his arms trapping her closer to himself.

She wriggled teasingly. "So, how does that make you feel?"

He smirked at her. _"Like I'm in heaven."_ He then leaned in and gave her another sweet kiss which she returned whole heartedly.

As the pulled apart, a breathy laugh passed Sakura's lips. "We've already been to heaven," she reminded him.

"We were _almost_ in heaven," Syaoran corrected. "But, if we had actually gone through those gates, I'd imagine heaven would a little like this," he laid a few more heartfelt kisses across her wanting lips.

"Sakura! Sakura!" Around the corner popped a little creature that looked very much like a plush toy. It was a dark gold color and had two little wings sprouting from the back. As Kero caught sight of of his mistress entwining herself to her lover, the guardian bristled. "Hey kid, you mind not eating her face when I'm around?" he barked.

"Kero!" yelled a frustrated Sakura, breaking away from the sweet succor of Syaoran's mouth. "Would you cut it out! That's no way to treat your master!"

Kero looked rebellious, ready to deny that the brat was his master, but the fcat was not something to be arruged, and his mistress's wrath was not something he wished to evok tonight. "Fine," he sighed at length. _"I'm sorry."_

Syaoran tipped his head thoughtfully, staring at the floating stuffed animal. "It's fine," he replied. "If you didn't greet me like that, I would feel something was missing from the night."

Kero huffed a laugh. "In that case…" he blew a big raspberry and zoomed off before he could be reprimanded.

Sakura stared after the little creature. "I'm so sorry-."

"Don't be," the warrior replied, wrapping an arm around her waist and guiding the both of them in. "That's how I know I'm home."

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Everyone was enjoying the party, which consisted of almost more than 50 people. Sakura decided that everyone was invited even the spirits of the cards themselves. Throughout the backyard and the house itself, they were lounging around here and there. Some eating and some drinking while talking to one another. They all seemed so happy. Nightmare and Pain were sitting inside the living room with a few of the other Sakura spirits watching as they both played a game of chess. Pain was of course winning, and Nightmare was by now yanking his own hairs out of his headS. Fear and Seduce were sitting by themselves in the backyard, obviously wanting to be alone as they cuddled closer and closer. Meanwhile Sorrow and Illness were flying about here and there, crashing into stuff or just completely making a ruckus. It was a good thing that Eriol erected a shield around the yard so that the neighbors wouldn't get suspicious. Lost was trying desperately to keep up with two drunk-like spirits.

The humans, meanwhile, were just enjoying each other's company as they all sat around the elegant table eating together for the first time in a long time. Fujitaka Kinomoto sat at the head of table talking to Sakura and Syaoran, who were sitting next to one another. Meanwhile Chiharu and Takashi were talking with Rika and Naoko, who sat across from them at the other end. In the middle of the table on the right side sat Eriol and Tomoyo. At the other end of the table sat Toya, opposite of Fujitaka, with his best friend Yukito to his right. Both Toya and Yukito had finally found permanent jobs and were now working full time as Holy Knights for the Order of the Sword. Toya served as the captain of the Holy Knights and Yukito was his second in command.

Ever since the incident 3 years ago involving the essence of Evil and the exposure of the Magical World to the rest of the planet, and its subsequent washing from mundanes' memories thanks to Life and Death's efforts, a new government was established to make sure that the same problem would never occur again. Its job was to watch over all those who possessed magical power and make sure that their secrets would never be exposed to the mundane world ever again.

This new government, known as The Order of the Sword, watched over the people of the Magical World and laid down laws for them to follow so everything would remain calm and organized. It was decided unanimously that Sakura and Syaoran would be crowned the High Summoner and Grand Sorcerer, meaning they would basically become the king and queen of this new government. They accepted their new positions happily, but requested that they be allowed to return home to live normal lives until they reached an old enough age so that they could take over. They both decided to appoint someone to watch over the government and its people. So they chose a powerful and yet kind sorcerer, Sanctus, as the Royal Advisor under the King and Queen. So while Sakura and Syaoran returned home to live their lives, Sanctus lead the Order of the Sword.

So now Toya and Yukito worked as one of Sanctus' Holy Knights. Though their jobs asked a lot from them, they always made time for their friends and family such as today.

The party was as lively as it could possibly get. Everyone was having a wonderful time whether they be spirit or human, they were all enjoying themselves with one another's company, especially Tomoyo's mother Sonomi Daidouji. Now you may think that she would actually be shocked to have learned about the existence of the magical world, _for the second time_, but when she learned that her very own daughter possessed powers herself, she became ecstatic. She could only hug her daughter tightly as she proclaimed how proud she was of her new found abilities, no matter how limited they wereS. In fact, she had become so thrilled about the news that she created a personal sorceress outfit just for Tomoyo.

Sonomi was even more excited when she learned that her daughter's boyfriend, Eriol, was a powerful sorcerer as well. It had been three years now and Sonomi had grown to love Eriol more and more since day one. She loved his charming personality and his humorous traits. The only thing that disappointed her was that he had not proposed yet. She had accepted him as her son-in-law a long time ago, in fact she had finished their wedding plans and the only thing that she was now waiting for was for the actual bride and groom.

And, on that note, Eriol suddenly stood up from his seat and cleared his throat to make an announcement. "Excuse me everyone, may I have your attention please. I would just like to say a couple of words before I present to you all something I'm sure you will enjoy."

Everyone, including all the spirits, stopped their activities and drifted in to listen.

"I would just like to thank the Kinomotos' for having us over for this amazing dinner party and reunion. It's truly been so long since we've all been able to get together like this, so to say thanks, I've prepared something for everyone to enjoy." And just as he finished, a loud boom exploded in the sky as a magnificent firework flashed a beautiful shade of blue high above them. Seconds later, the sky was awash with showers of sparkling rainbows, of magical explosions, and of delights that awed the onlookers.

Eriol kept his eyes on his own prize, sliding his way up behind Tomoyo and encircling his arms around her waist. He pretended not to notice Sonomi whip out a camera to begin recording them. "Do you like it?" the sorcerer murmured in the girl's earl as Tomoyo turned in his arms, her sparkling eyes meeting his.

"Oh Eriol," she said, "It's _wonderful._ You've really outdone yourself this time."

Eriol only smirked as he replied, "You haven't see the grand finale yet."

Tomoyo giggled. "Oh? And what might that be?"

Eriol's hands were firm and warm on her shoulders as they guided her to turn, looking up in to the sky now awash with exploding colors. _"Just watch."_

The air was suddenly a cacophony of whistles and explosions, gearing up for the proclaimed finale. Night became day as magical fireworks ate the darkness and replaced it with blazing rainbows of light. And as Tomoyo watched the show play, Eriol watched her. The light played off her skin in the most delightful, beautiful ways, making her seem ethereal, _magical._

"Tomoyo-?"

"Yes?"

Eriol paused for a moment, gathering the words that lay on the tip of his tongue- the sentence he'd been practicing for a while now. "There's been something I've been meaning to ask you for a while now, but I just haven't worked up the courage to ask you till now..."

"What is it?" asked Tomoyo curiously as she tipped her head.

Suddenly the explosions stopped and a single large firework could be seen rising in the air. It continued to climb higher and higher into the night sky, racing up towards the heavens. It reached the peak of its climb and detonated in a beautiful display of purple sparks, but what caught everyone's attention were the words that were forming in mid-air where it exploded.

Everyone just gasped in pure awe. As Sakura pointed up into the sky as she yelled_, "Oh my God! Tomoyo look!"_

The young raven haired woman took her eyes of Eriol for moment and looked up into the sky, only to have tears begin to flow. There in brightly lit lavender letter, high in the sky above all of them were the words:

_**Tomoyo Daidouji,**_

_**Will You Marry Me?**_

She could only turn to her beloved boyfriend as he dropped down on one knee and from within his coat pulled out a black box. He opened it to reveal a magnificent silver ring with a magically colored lavender diamond in the shape of a flower sparkling before her. By now Sonomi was going insane with the camera, trying desperately to get the best possible angle.

"You're the most beautiful, wonderful, kind, loving person I have ever met and I can't see myself living out the rest of my life without you," Eriol said softly, pouring out his heart. "Please, Tomoyo, _will you marry me_?"

Tears nearly blinded her as she stared down into the midnight eyes she loved so much. They were staring back at her with a hopeful, nearly scared, light in them. She wanted nothing more than to wipe the fear right out of them. Falling to hr knees in front of him, she wrapped her arms around his neck and placed her lips against his, so when she spoke her words tickled his sensitive flesh.

"_Yes, Eriol, I will marry you." _

With a whoop of joy, Eriol was suddenly on his feet, swinging his new bride-to-be into the air to celebrate. Around them, the yard burst into applause and cheering, spirits lifting into the air and looping to and fro in a rainbow of celebratort delight.

Sonomi could only wipe her forehead and eyes as she silently whispered to herself, "Finally!"

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The full moon shone brightly over the town of Tomoeda as a young emerald eyed woman stared out her old bedroom window at the amazing night sky. There was not a cloud in the sky as the stars shone brightly high above them all.

Sakura sighed tiredly as she continued to stare out the window. By now everyone had gone home. Rika, Naoko, Chiharu and Takashi had all left as well as Eriol, Tomoyo, and Sonomi. All in all, the night had been wonderfully amazing. The young woman was suddenly stirred out of her thoughts as someone's voice echoed in the room.

"One heck of a party huh," Sakura turned around to find Syaoran leaning on the door frame, smiling at her. He closed the distance between them and put his arms around her. She gladly leaned into his chest and closed her eyes as she sighed into him.

"Yeah, it was one crazy night," she replied.

The young amber eyed man just leaned his head on top of hers as he said, "You know in all the excitement, I forgot to give you my present."

Sakura lifted her head from his chest as she looked at him curiously, "Hoe, what do you mean?"

He smiled down at her softly. "Well, I got you a present for all the times I wasn't able to be there for you. At first I didn't know what to get, but then I saw this and said it was perfect."

From his back he drew a large, square, velvet box. Slowly, he opened it and Sakura could only gape in awe at the sight that was held before her. Silver cherry blossoms gleamed breath-takingly from the bed of velvet they laid in, strung through on a fine chain of silver. Fine pink jewels dotted the blossoms like stars in the night sky.

Syaoran smiled as he said, "I take it you like it."

The young auburn haired woman couldn't speak; she was too stunned to do so. "Syao-Syaoran you shouldn't have…" she mumbled.

Smiling that rare smile of his, Syaoran only replied, "I'll take that as a yes then. You know it would look better if you put it on instead of stared at it."

She turned around and pulled her hair up as he carefully placed the necklace around her neckline and fastened it securely on the back. She turned back around and gently touched it.

Syaoran only stared at her as he whispered, _"Beautiful…"_

"It is, isn't it?" replied the young woman, enchanted by the treasure she now wore.

"Actually, I was talking about you," said Syaoran.

Sakura giggled, her eyes lifting to meet Syaoran's glowing amber orbs. They stood frozn in time for a while, silently conveying what they couldn't say in words, and then they leaned in to brush lips against the other's, falling into a kiss that left them breathless and tingling.

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Amongst the shifting, indefinable mists of Limbo, the atmosphere was quite a different story. A pressing silence encompassed the never ending place, a somber thrum shimmering through the veil of smoky, untouchable whiteness.

The presences of the essences of life and death in the sacred place were unwelcome. Limbo was a place for souls moving on to heaven or moving out to be reborn. Essences were, strictly speaking, not allowed to tread upon the land of neither-here-nor-there; they were soulless, insubstantial beings, created of concepts, not flesh and blood, no soul or mind- what right had they to come upon the mists that led to and from the gates of Heaven?

Death drifted through the fog of nothingness like an ominous creature, a poison in a place where no life or death should exist. He held no substance here, not without a body to cling to and solidify around. He was immune to feeling like this, barely catching at the wisps of consciousness that floated around him. With out a mouth, he could not convey actual words to his fellow essence, but somehow he managed to say something without saying it- _Are you sure about this, Life?_

The presence ahead of him paused. She was invisible like he was, incorporeal, but cutting a wide path through the mists nonetheless. _Yes, we must. _

_If you say so…_

_Would you rather we be useless passersby as Evil comes to head again?_

_No, of course not._

_Then we must go through with this. Zero's assistance will not be enough. They will need us- our assistance. They will us in physical forms._

_Very well. _

They approached the bridge that separated the blazing gates of heaven from the Limbo they intruded upon. In a storm of glistening wings and shining robes, an angel set down before the essences, a sword of blazing light brandished before them.

"You are not welcome here, Essences," the angel boomed.

_We seek two souls within the gates. _Life said, shrinking away from the impossible heat and light that exuded from the angel. Essences were vulnerable here, subject to the greater powers that ruled over heaven.

"They are done their time on the mortal plane," the angel replied, knowing exactly which two souls the beings sought. "You have no right to seek further connection with them- you have done enough damage."

_You granted us a boon last time we intruded upon this place, _Death pointed out, hoping for the same mercy again.

The angel was stern and unmoving. "If your memory fails you, we have granted you two boons, each with a separate visit. You violated the gates when you first came, stealing back the souls of the sorcerers- it was by God's good graces that he was sending them back that you did not suffer oblivion then. Your second boon was to allow you company with your former hosts when you sought physical bodies in order to seek out _Zero._" The angel said the name with disdain, his thoughts of the demon-dealing human obvious.

_Grant us a third boon, then. _Death persisted.

The angel paused, scrutinizing the pair of beings that were not really there. Normal sould passed by unconcernedly. The angel closed his eyes for a moment, as if seeking counsel from a higher power. And, upon receiving the answer he'd been seeking, he grudgingly took to the air. "Very well, His Grace has deemed a third boon acceptable. You are quite lucky he has bestowed favor upon you for some reason that not even I can fathom. Stay here and I will fetch those who you seek." He soared off into the gates without so much as a second glance.

_Saint Michael can be a real demon sometimes, _Life said, _even if he is supposed to be an angel._

_Be glad he saw it fit to at least listen to our request without casting us back to the mortal plane, _Death replied.

It was not long before they saw the shimmering light of Saint Michael returning, his wings sending gentle ripples through the air and he glided effortlessly. He landed as gracefully as he did before, though this time without swinging his great blade at Life and Death. From beneath the protective curl of his large, encompassing wings, came two very familiar shapes, gentle forms coalescing into a pair of human souls. One female, wild looking with a cascade of flaxen hair falling down to the backs of her calves, grey eyes bright and wide, while her companion was male, tan of skin and dark of hair, whose eyes were liquid brown and unsmiling.

Saint Michael bowed to the pair of human souls. "I'll leave you to them," he said softly. "Should you wish at any time to be rid of their company, say so and I'll banish them."

Dren lifted a hand to the angel, dismissing the offer. "I'm sure there will be no need," he said. As the angel took off, the dead human's gaze turned hard as he regarded the essences. "I thought we had a deal?" he said, voice as cold and unforgiving as steel. "You were to leave us alone for forever more if we allowed you gainsay over our bodies once more to contact Zero. Why are you here again?"

The mist around Life and Death shifted gently, passing over them, but never touching them- as if it would be sullied by touching them. They were silent for a long while.

_Something has happened… _Life intoned, sounding unsure of herself.

Miaka looked intrigued, to say the least. "What's happened? What could possibly be so bad that you would break your promise to leave us be and make you come back here to seek us out?"

Death sighed. _As you well know, events have now been put into motion-_

"As they usually are when fate is allow to work without all-powerful beings being slipped into them mix," Dren pointed out rather icily. "Just get to the point and tell us why you are here."

Life appealed to Miaka's love for the Card Mistress, knowing that if she secured Miaka, Dren would not be far behind. _Sanctus has gone further than we had expected. Sakura and Syaoran and all they hold dear are going to be in terrible danger soon. We need you to help us- we need physical bodies. _

"Sakura's in danger?" Miaka squeaked, bouncing on her feet nervously. Her wide eyes looked to Dren for him to say something, but even as he opened his mouth to tell her to perish the thought he could already see her desire to help the sorceress welling. He could instantly feel his resolve breaking. No matter how much they had suffered at the hands of Life and Death, if Miaka wished for one thing, he'd be damned if he wasn't at her side as she did it.

"It's up to you," Dren sighed. "What ever you want, I'll go along with it."

Miaka bit her lip, staring at the empty space where she knew the essences were. If they made another contract, like the one they did last time, it didn't have to be permanent- they could have a time limit on it, and have fail safes in place… and Sakura was in danger…

With trembling fingers, Miaka reached out of the essence of life. "I want to help," she murmured quietly.

_Good. _

And suddenly power flowed into the souls; tremendous power, and knowledge, and all the old amenities that Miaka and Dren had known when they had served as Life and Death for so many millions of years. They savored the wild, breathless feeling of it, so familiar, so consuming, before the inevitable happened, the draining of their colors- the leaching of their hearts. Essences had no hearts, after all.

Dren made a disgusted noise as he watched his heart suddenly separate from himself, the ball of light chasing after Miaka's back into heaven where it would be held safe. The contract complete, he looked down at himself, and then suddenly felt the prickle of someone else's consciousness bubbling inside of him, rising up, taking over. Where Dren once stood, Death now was, carefully testing out his body, reveling in the feel of being real again.

Life gave a shriek of delight and launched herself on her companion. "We're alive again!" she cheered.

Death remained stoic as ever. "There's no time for celebrations," he warned darkly. "As you've said, Evil is back, and that means nothing good for Sakura and Syaoran."

**Author's Note**

So what did you guys think, I hope you really enjoyed reading this chapter especially Eriol's proposal which is why the chapter is called A Grand Proposal. Anyway please leave a review after you have finished reading because we all love reviews and it inspires both Hearts of Eternity and myself to continue writing.

Stick around because things are finally beginning to get started, stay tuned for an action packed third chapter of **An Angel's Scream, A Devil's Cry**


	4. Chapter 3: Zero Hour

_Disclaimer_: Just so everyone is clear on this. I do not own CardCaptor Sakura. Also, I do not own any characters that are Devil May Cry, they belong CAPCOM.

_Second Disclaimer_: I also do not own the characters Life, Death, Miaka, Dren, Lost, Nightmare, Sorrow, Illness, Seduce, Fear, and Evil. They all belong to the genius mind of Hearts of Eternity. She is the one who created these awesome characters and she also owns the original concept of this timeline and the events. The only character that I personally own is Zero.

**Author****'****s Note**: Being that this is a sequel of sorts to Hearts of Eternity's story _Links in a Chain_, it may be in your best interest to go back and read her story first. Otherwise, you may not know exactly what is going on or who some of the featured characters are. 

_Things are now coming together__…__all elements are in place and the first move is now awaiting its decision__…__._

**An Angel****'****s Scream, A Devil****'****s Cry**

**Chapter 3: Zero Hour**

The nightmare was the same as usual as before, except now this time it seemed much clearer, as if the message is this delusion wanted to be known. Sakura was standing in the same concrete building as last time, the same one with a destroyed ceiling exposing the black and red sky high above her. The clouds were burning with hot fire as thousands of flying demons continued to circle like predators high above. Before the young woman was a broken and shattered window that had a clear view of what lay outside the building. Everywhere and everything was dead. The trees were charred black and the ground was a dull tan color as it was kicked up by the scorching wind. Homes were either destroyed or on fire and crumbling as lightning struck from the sky. The worst part of the scene before the Card Mistress was the thousands of mangled and bloody bodies that lay strewn throughout the wasteland. Every single life on the planet was extinguished, nothing anywhere was left alive. She couldn't possibly hold them back any longer as Sakura fell to her knees and began to cry as she saw the dead person that lay on the floor before her. There on the ground lay Syaoran, dead and cold, all life drained from him. His clothes were stained with blood and, stabbed through his chest, was his own Li-Clan sword. Sakura reached a trembling hand to touch him, but couldn't as a dark sinister voice broke her action.

"He was a weak fool. Hehe and he's supposed to be the leader of the powerful Li-Clan, what a joke, he's just another weak fool who tried to stand in my way, just like you."

A pair of menacing red eyes erupted from the darkness ahead.

"Who- Who are you?" asked the scared Card Mistress.

"Why Card Mistress, I'm insulted," said the black figure, "it's only been 3 years and you've already forgotten me. Haha, here maybe you'll recognize me like this." Suddenly the black figure began to change form. From the pure darkness and sludge, a body began to form. Slowly it changed into the body of a young woman or more importantly like the body of a fallen angel. A doppelganger began to form before the young card mistress. It had poison green eyes, thin, tapered fingers, shapely legs leading to a beautiful round swell of an ass, a well endowed chest, flat stomach, soft auburn locks, and a face so beautiful it was deadly. And there standing before Sakura stood the reincarnation of Evil in Sakura's body.

"Hello there Sakura, long time no see, did you miss me?"

The Young emerald eyed woman could only stare in horror of the monster that stood before her; body shaking madly she let out a barely audible "….no, it can't be…"

Evil only smiled, "Oh yes young Card Mistress it's me. Do you like what you see before you," said the menacing figure as it twirled around with its hands up showing off the surroundings, "the sky looks quite beautiful don't you think, and it's all thanks to you!" it finished off pointing an accusing finger at Sakura.

"Me-me-me…" stuttered the frightened woman.

"Yes you! You weak little girl! You can't do anything, you're weak and that will be your downfall!"

"no…no…please God no…NOOO!!!!!!!"

Suddenly the dream itself began to fade away and Evil began to walk back into the darkness. "We'll be seeing each other real soon Card Mistress or should I call you High Summoner, HAHAHAHAHAHA!!!"

By now the dream was only a blur and had completely faded away leaving a crumpled Sakura sobbing on the floor in the dark, cold, reaches of her own nightmare. From the darkness, a voice suddenly came calling her name. She recognized the voice but couldn't quite put a name on it,

"Sakura… Sakura… Sakura!!!"

"I know this voice," she thought, "it's….Syaoran…"

And instantly she awoke from her nightmare with her eyes full of tears, she turned to her right and saw Syaoran holding her closely; a worried look on his face. Sakura couldn't take it anymore and she threw herself upon his chest and began to cry.

Syaoran, having no idea what was happening could only hold his beloved closely as he continued to shush and comfort her.

"Ssshhh…it's ok Sakura, it's ok….sshhh…tell me what happened, cmon whats wrong?" asked the young man.

Still sobbing a little, the young Card Mistress began her re-account of the terrible nightmare.

"Syaoran what does it mean, was it just a normal nightmare, or-or- you don't think it could be a premonition could you?"

Syaoran just looked at the young woman in his arms with a deep expression of thought. "I don't know Sakura, I truly don't know. Let's just pray that it's nothing more than a nightmare." Then a thought struck him, "We'll go over to Eriol's place tomorrow and see if he can discern anything about this nightmare. For now that's all we can do."

However, Sakura had some second thoughts and Syaoran couldn't help but notice the skeptical look on her face. "Don't worry, I'm sure its nothing. Everything will be fine, I promise," said the amber eyed man comfortingly. His words seemed to do the trick as Sakura nodded her head and gave a small smile. Syaoran smiled as well, "Cmon lets get back to sleep." And with that the loving couple fell back to sleep in each others comforting arms.

BEEP!!! BEEP!!! BEEP!!!

'Ah what is that annoying sound' thought a sleepy Sakura. BEEP!!! BEEP!!! BEEP!!!

'Ahhh make it stop!' and in an instant the young woman raised herself from bed and slammed a fist on the snooze button of the alarm clock. She decided to pull herself out of bed with a cute little yawn. She was wearing a single white short sleeved shirt and a pair of bright pink short-shorts. After hearing some commotion in the other room she walked out to find a busy Syaoran making breakfast.

Syaoran couldn't help but notice his loved one as she stepped through the doorway of the bedroom and into the living room. He couldn't suppress a quite laugh as he looked her over, from the bedridden hair to the hunched over sleepy position she was in, he just couldn't stop thinking of how cute she looked.

"Morning sleepy head." He said with a cheerful tone, "nice hair by the way."

Sakura only stuck her tongue out at him and walked over to the dining table. She sat down just as Syaoran set a plate of eggs, bacon, and bread in front of her. He gave her a sweet kiss on the cheek and whispered in her ear, "Or should I say 'Good morning my sleeping beauty' instead," Sakura just blushed a deep crimson and turned to face him.

"And good morning to you, my handsome prince." Syaoran just gave one of his charming smiles which made Sakura's heart beat faster for a second. Soon Syaoran took a seat opposite of her on the little table with his own plate of breakfast and they both began to eat. However, Syaoran noticed that Sakura seemed to be in some sort of daze, as though her mind was somewhere else at the moment.

"Sakura are you alright," asked Syaoran, but when she didn't respond to his call he spoke louder, "Sakura hey are you ok!?" His action seemed to shake her out of her trance and she shook her a little to get back into focus.

"Huh…yeah I'm fine, I'm perfectly ok…" she replied but Syaoran didn't buy it.

"You're not still thinking about that nightmare are you?" he asked worriedly.

Sakura looked apprehensive at first, but let out a sigh of defeat, "I just can't help it Syaoran, something about it just felt so horribly wrong. I just don't know…"

A worried Syaoran stood from his chair and knelt in front of his loved one and took her hands into his. "Sakura listen it's going to be alright. You can't keep worrying about it, please you're scaring me and I don't want to see you get hurt. Don't worry we'll go talk to Eriol about it, I'm sure he'll know something about it. Just please don't let it dwell within your thoughts. I care too much about you to see you so down such as this."

Sakura couldn't help but feel so comforted by his words, to know that he was always at every moment caring about her brought so much warmth in her heart. "Thank you Syaoran," and with that they hugged one another closely hoping to wash each others worries with their love.

DING DONG!!!

The massive wooden door to the Hiiragizawa mansion was stood ominously before Sakura and Syaoran. They had now rang the doorbell at least 8 times now but no one had yet to answer the door. Just as they were turning to the leave a loud creaking noise could be heard on the other side of the door followed by the sound of the latch being unbolted and soon the door creaked open to reveal a smiling Eriol and Tomoyo on the other side.

"Hey guys," said Eriol happily, "about time you both showed up, we were expecting you at least 20 minutes ago."

Both Sakura and Syaoran looked at one another and sweat dropped anime style.

"Yeah, we would've have made it on time if someone here hadn't slept in so late!" said Syaoran sarcastically as he nudged his girlfriend with his elbow playfully.

"Hey it's not my fault," retorted the young Card Mistress, "blame that awful nightmare!"

At the mention of the nightmare the mood surrounding both couples instantly changed into a dark cold tone. The smiles that were once gracing everyone's cheerful face were now replaced with a look of anxiety and seriousness.

"C'mon in," said Eriol mysteriously, "let's talk about it inside." With that Eriol and Tomoyo stepped aside to let their friends inside. Tomoyo quietly led them to the living room while Eriol walked behind them thinking deeply about what could possibly be so bad about this nightmare he had heard about from Syaoran.

Soon they entered what seemed to be a grand hall, but was in actuality Eriol's living room. Inside rested four couches that were organized into a square pattern. Each couch seemed to be beautifully handcrafted as each seam of the cloth looked perfect. They were all a dark lavender hue and a pair of white pillows rested on top of each one. In the center rested a glass table of the finest carvings ever seen. Both couples took seats on the couches opposite one another just as Nakuru entered with a platter of cups and a pot of tea in her hands.

She set the platter down and just as she was about to begin handing out the cups Tomoyo politely offered to do the job for her. "Here Nakuru let me help you."

Together both women began to pour tea into the cups and pass them out to everyone. Once they had all been seated and had drunken some tea Eriol set his cup and plate down. "So tell me Sakura tell me about this nightmare of yours, Syaoran has informed me that it has been troubling your sleep at night a few times now."

So Sakura began to re-account the horrible nightmare that plagued her sleep many times now. Everyone listened intently and waited for the young woman to finish before speaking themselves. When she had finished everyone sat silently thinking about their own interpretations about the nightmare. Soon Eriol broke the silence to voice his thoughts about the nightmare.

"Let me ask you Sakura, in your nightmare could you feel anything. What I mean is could you feel the wind on your face, the ground beneath your feet, and the blood from the dead around you?"

Though she was looking down, Sakura slowly began to nod her head.

"I see," said the reincarnation of Clow Reed, "I know you may not want to hear this, but I can only give you the truth though it may not be what you seek. This nightmare that you experienced was no nightmare at all. You have been given a premonition about the future. It is a vision of things to come."

Everyone could only gasp in horror.

"Eriol, you can't be serious," asked a scarred Tomoyo, "this can't possibly happen, first of all Evil is gone, Sakura and Syaoran banished his essence into oblivion 3 years ago how can he return."

Eriol could only shake his head. "I don't know, I truly don't know, all I can tell you is that what you may or may not happen depending on what you do." Said Eriol as he starred at a mortified Sakura. "I promise you this though, I will do everything in my power to help you, even if it means I give my-" however he was interrupted as Spinel came crashing into the room with a piece of paper in his hands.

"Master Eriol, Master Eriol, this has just come in from The Order of the Sword!" said Spinel as he handed the folded parchment to his master. Eriol quickly opened it and read it thoroughly. "It seems that the Order has called a meeting of the High Council. It must be important because the letter is addressed as a top priority message. The King and Queen must attend as well," he finished as he looked up to Syaoran and Sakura.

The cool wind brushed past against Sakura's face as she continued to fly through the air. The message Eriol received demanded that she and Syaoran immediately go to the Order of the Sword's meeting chamber for something very important. So now she along with Syaoran, Eriol (riding on Spinel's back), Tomoyo, Nakuru, and Kero were flying to the designated location to attend the meeting.

She tried her best to concentrate on the meeting ahead, but Eriol's words about the nightmare just continued to ring though her head. _"__It is a vision of things to come.__"_

'Things to come,' thought the young Card Mistress, 'but how it could be things to come when we have already banished Evil itself. How is it possible that he could return.'

Syaoran, who was flying close to his loved one, could only help but worry even more as he continued to watch her closely. "Sakura are you alright?" asked a worried Syaoran.

Sakura tried to put on her best smile but failed miserably as Syaoran could easily see through her and notice that something was troubling her. "I know you're worried about what Eriol said and I am too, but please cheer up, I know somehow we'll get through this just like we always have."

Sakura, this time, smiled her usual cheerful self after she heard what Syaoran said and took his hand into hers. "Thank you Syaoran, I love you so much."

"And I love you my Cherry Blossom."

Eventually they all touched down near a massive Cathedral and their waiting for them outside the door was the Royal Advisor himself Sanctus accompanied by Toya and Yukito in their Holy Knight uniforms along with 20 other soldiers dressed in the same attire as Toya and Yukito except with their helmets on. They all stood in line at-attention as they awaited for the King and Queen to land. Sanctus himself was dressed in his usual dark blue robe with gold trimmings while on the other hand Toya and Yukito wore matching uniforms which consisted of a white robe over a sheet over enchanted armor and they both had swords strung to their belts. They were the only two Holy Knights who were not wearing helmets.

"Ahhh High Summoner and Grand Sorcerer, I am overjoyed to see that you have both made it safely. It is good see you two again and I welcome you to The White Horse Cathedral."

"Thanks Sanctus," replied Sakura cheerfully, it's good to see you too, and Syaoran's glad to see you too, right Syaoran!" she said through gritted teeth as she nudged him in the side with her elbow. Syaoran, who was busy having a glaring contest with Toya, quickly snapped out of it to say his hello to Sanctus. As they all began to enter the building Syaoran noticed a crimson motorcycle parked a little ways down the street not close to the Cathedral but it was a fair walking distance. 'Hmmm I wonder who that bike belongs to,' he thought, 'whoever they are has good tastes.' Soon everyone entered the Cathedral to get the meeting started.

The White Horse Cathedral itself was a massive building that spanned more than 2 blocks. It was able to house more than 300 people and was beautifully decorated with stained glass windows and suits of armor all lining the walls. Bright torches illuminated the darkness making everyone feel happily welcome as they all took their seats. Dozens of Sorcerers and Witches and magical creatures were taking their respective seats within the audience chamber. The Audience Chamber itself was constructed just like an old opera house with the seats all facing one direction, the stage where a large podium stood for the speaker to address his or her message from.

Once inside the building Sanctus stood in front of Sakura and Syaoran and in a loud voice said, "Announcing His and Her Majesty's High Summoner Sakura Kinomoto and Grand Sorcerer Syaoran Li!" Immediately everyone who was seated within the building stood up and bowed toward the King and Queen of The Order. Eventually both Syaoran and Sakura took their seats on their respective thrones in the front row and Sanctus took his place at the podium before everyone else and began to speak.

"I have called this meeting to discuss a very important matter and decision which requires the highest of attention. I have noticed through my time as Royal Advisor that The Order of The Sword has done its job to insure peace, security, and order through our magical community here in Japan. But now the time has come, I believe, for our influence to expand past our country. Ladies and Gentlemen the time has come for The Order of the Sword to begin expanding into Europe, Asia, and even the Americas as well." At this everyone in the audience began to clap loudly at the Royal Advisor's plan. The entire audience stood up and let out a loud applause, everyone except for Sakura, Syaoran, Eriol and Tomoyo that is.

As soon as the audience quieted down, Syaoran stood up and spoke, "Sanctus, I know you only have the best intentions, but I believe that the rest of the world may not actually be ready to join the Order yet. Maybe we should wait a while longer, maybe allow them to come to us instead of just barging into their own affairs."

Sanctus nodded in understanding to Syaoran's words, but he refused to relent so easily. "I understand your concern your Highness, but you have not seen the terrible and horrible monstrosity's of the rest of the world. I have been to other countries and seen magic run amok without order, it is pure chaos. And that is why I have taken the intiative and-"

CRRRRASSSSSHHHHHH!!!!

Sanctus was never able to finish his sentence since the glass ceiling above him shattered into millions of tiny shards as a dark crimson figure fell from above and landed on the podium before Sanctus. The Royal Advisor could only stumble back a few feet in surprise as the crimson clad figure drew what seemed to be a handgun engraved with gold letters spelling Ebony, pointed it at Sanctus' head, and in front of the whole audience...

BANG!

And with that Sanctus fell to the floor with blood oozing from the open bullet wound on his head. Instantly time seemed to return with full force as everyone in the audience scrambled to get out the building. Everywhere there was screaming and yelling and crying as people clambered here and there to escape the crimson assassin.

"Your Holiness!!!!!" screamed a shocked Toya. Quickly he along with Yukito and the rest of the Holy Knights charged the crimson figure with their swords drawn ready to strike him down. However just as Toya swung his sword, the crimson assassin unsheathed his own massive dark sword from his back and blocked Toya's attack. Quickly the other knights tried to attack him as well, but he just easily flipped away and landed in the center of their formation. He swung his sword forward instantly killing two Knights in front of him while the rest tried to maneuver away. They tried desperately to fight back, but they were no match for the crimson clad figure. He movement was just inhumanly fast. Three of the Knighs all swung at the same time from different sides, but the assassin just dashed around each of their attacks and either sliced or stabbed them with his massive sword. Toya and Yukito decided that they had seen enough and now both charged him together to take him down. Toya swung his sword high while Yukito went low hoping to catch him off guard but they were both surprised when the figure jumped a few feet off the air, and twirled his body so that both blades passed him without harm. While in mid-air he kicked his foot out and hit Toya square in the chest sending him flying back, and once he landed punched Yukito in the face sending him crashing through a couple of seats.

"Onii-chan no!!!" screamed a frightened Sakura. They had both returned into the building after helping people get out and were now ready for a shot at the crimson assassin. Quickly Sakura ran over to her fallen brother while Syaoran made his way to Yukito to help him up.

"Onii-chan are you alright?" asked a worried Sakura.

"Yeah, I'm fine, but he's too strong for us. We tried our best but he just seems so fast and powerful." Replied Toya as he grimaced from the pain in his chest.

"Toya listen to me, we'll handle this guy, you and Yukito take Sanctus' and get out of here. Don't worry about us, he won't be a problem for much longer." Replied a stern Sakura.

"Alright," said Toya as he stood back up, "but be careful, this bastard plays rough."

He and Yukito carefully picked up Sanctus' body and quickly exited the building leaving the three powerful beings behind.

Sakura and Syaoran just stared in anger at the crimson clad figure as he began to turn around. They could both finally see his face, or half his face since it was covered with a black scarf. He had dark brown hair that was short and spiky in the back, but his bangs were long enough to cover his light blue eyes which were stained with Sanctus' blood. He leapt off the podium and landed a few feet in front of Sakura and Syaoran, though they couldn't see it, he was grinning.

"Who are you!?" demanded an angry Sakura.

No answer.

"Answer me you monster, who are you and why…" she stuttered trying to get the words out, "why did you murder Sanctus!!" Tears were now filling her eyes as she continued to yell at the crimson murderer. "He had done nothing wrong, he was a good man just trying to help many people, and now he's- he's- I'll make you pay for what you have done! Let's go Syaoran!"

"Right!" he replied as he drew his Li Clan Sword. Sakura transformed her Star Staff into a sword with the Sword Card and together they charged the Crimson Assassin both intent on making him pay for what he had done.

**Author****'****s Note**

Alright so what do you guys think so about the story so far. Things are finally coming together now eh. I know some things may not make sense but in time you will all understand who the real bad guy is and who the real good guys are. Anyway please leave a review because we all love reviews. Thanks a lot J


	5. Chapter 4: Two on One is a Fair Fight

_Disclaimer_: Just so everyone is clear on this. I do not own CardCaptor Sakura. Also, I do not own any characters that are Devil May Cry, they belong CAPCOM.

_Second Disclaimer_: I also do not own the characters Life, Death, Miaka, Dren, Lost, Nightmare, Sorrow, Illness, Seduce, Fear, and Evil. They all belong to the genius mind of Hearts of Eternity. She is the one who created these awesome characters and she also owns the original concept of this timeline and the events. The only character that I personally own is Zero.

**Author****'****s Note**: Being that this is a sequel of sorts to Hearts of Eternity's story _Links in a Chain_, it may be in your best interest to go back and read her story first. Otherwise, you may not know exactly what is going on or who some of the featured characters are.

**An Angel****'****s Scream, A Devil****'****s Cry**

**Chapter ****4****: ****Two On One is a Fair Fight…**

_ Sakura transformed her Star Staff into a sword with the Sword Card and together they charged the Crimson Assassin both intent on making him pay for what he had done._

Sakura and Syaoran dashed with incredible speed at the crimson assassin as he just stood there with his hands at his sides waiting for them to strike. They both swung their blades, Sakura going high hoping to slice his head off and Syaoran swung low hoping to cut his legs out from under him. The only thing that they both hit was air as the crimson clad assassin leaped into the air and flipped over and above them, landing a few feet away with his hands on his hips in a mocking manner. Sakura and Syaoran spun around and faced the assassin once again and this time the red clad man brought up both his hands and waved them toward himself as though he was saying "Come and get it!"

The two powerful magic wielders once again dashed at the red clad assassin and swung their swords wildly hoping to take him down. First Syaoran took the lead and began slashing left, right, up, and down as Sakura leaped over him and tried to attack the assassin from behind. She slashed at him with all her strength and skill attempting to at least land a few blows. However the crimson assassin was far more superior in not only skill but in speed as well. He dodged left, right, up, and down and sideways as both Sakura and Syaoran continued to swing at him. They just both continued to hit nothing but air. At one moment the crimson assassin actually forced them into clashing swords with one another when they missed him and instead nearly hit each other. Eventually Sakura lunged forward in an attempt to stab the red clad man in the chest, but he just side-stepped her attack, grabbed her wrist and threw her into Syaoran sending them both crashing in the podium on the stage.

Quickly recovering from their fall, Sakura and Syaoran got back up and looked back over at the crimson assassin who was now drawing two handguns from his back. One was bright silver with Ivory engraved in the side in gold and the other was pure black with Ebony engraved in gold on the side as well. He twirled them in his hands before he aimed them at the two heroes and let loose a barrage of deadly bullets.

Sakura and Syaoran just barely called upon the Shield card in time as the bullets collided harmlessly with the protective barrier that was erected around them. The bullets harmlessly bounced off the shield and ricocheted around the room as the crimson assassin just continued to unload more and more rounds into the Shield card. Soon enough he stopped firing his two handguns and holstered them behind his back and he looked through the dust to see the two heroes safely behind their protective shield. "Hmmm," was the only thing he said as he just continued to watch the two as the Shield card lowered itself and they once again took fighting positions.

Syaoran noticed the massive sword on the assassin's back and asked angrily "What's the point of packing a powerful sword like that if your not even going to use it!?" The assassin had a questioning look on his face as though he didn't know what he was talking about, but then it dawned on him and he swiftly drew the sword from his back. It had a silver and black color to it and the handle had a large black skull on it with two massive thorns sticking out the side. The blade was itself was a dull black as though it had been used many times before and the color had completely faded. The assassin skillfully twirled the blade in his hands before striking a fighting stance announcing that he was ready for them.

Syaoran took the challenge and dashed towards the assassin, but Sakura tried to warn him, "No Syaoran wait!" However it was too late. The two men were locked in a deadly sword match as they both equally fought against one another. Syaoran swung left and right and the assassin just blocked his attacked while at the same time launching his own attacks as well. Syaoran was having difficulty keeping up with him. At the beginning of the battle it seemed as though they were evenly matched, but now Syaoran knew that if he didn't do something soon he was going to lose. However, the assassin was thinking the same thing and ducked beneath Syaoran's sword as he swung and kicked his feet out from under him. Syaoran landed on the ground with a loud _Oomph_ and looked up in horror as the assassin raised his sword in the air ready to finish him off. However before the red clad man could attack, a massive column of fire erupted Sakura's Star Staff and slammed into him sending him flying backwards into a pile of benches with a loud _CRUNCH!!!_

"Syaoran are you all right!?" asked Sakura worriedly as she ran over to her beloved and helped him back on his feet.

"Yeah I'm fine, are you ok?" he asked sincerely as he looked at his girlfriend. She just nodded, but were both quickly shaken out of their moment when they heard the sound of wood being crushed as the crimson assassin tossed aside the benches that were lying on top of him and crawled out of his crash site. He stood back up and looked at the two before cracking his knuckles.

"Sakura I think we need to hit this guy with something else besides swords." said Syaoran. They both nodded in agreement and raised up their weapons and aimed it towards the assassin who was steadily walking towards them. The both focused their power and began to chant their spells.

"Firey, destroy this foe, burn and turn him into ash with your flames!" commanded Sakura as powerful waves of fire began to gather around her Star Staff.

"Raitei Shourai!!!" yelled Syaoran as a lighting began to form around his sword. Together the two powerful magic users unleashed their attacks with full force. The crimson clad assassin stepped back in surprise as he watched the two massive elemental attacks rush towards him. His eyes opened wide with interest as they drew closer and closer. However at the last second he drew his sword and swung at the column of fire that Sakura summoned and slapped it aside sending it careening towards a wall where it collided and exploded with great force. Next up came Syaoran's lighting attack and the crimson assassin leaped into the air hoping to avoid it, but as completely caught by surprise when the lighting itself began to follow him. Apparently Syaoran was able to control the movements of his attack and chased the crimson assassin around as he tried to dodge the lightning. Finally having had enough, he raised his sword into the air and used it as a lighting rod to capture Syaoran's attack and then dissipate it harmlessly. He shook of the shocking effects and then once again looked back at the two heroes.

"Syaoran, this isn't good," said Sakura as they began to back away as the crimson assassin slowly walked towards them, "nothing is working, we have to try something else!" The crimson assassin once again drew his pistols and aimed them at the couple. Syaoran quickly grabbed Sakura and they both activated the Shield card once again. However this time it seemed as though the Shield Card was beginning to crumble under the pounding of the hundreds of bullets that were being launched at it. The Shield around them actually visibly cracked.

"Sakura do you remember how to summon the Destiny Spear!" said Syaoran as he looked back at her. She nodded in agreement and they both put their weapons together and began to channel their powers into them. The crimson assassin by now had drawn his sword and slashed at the Shield card completely shattering the protective barrier and charged at the two heroes just as a blinding white light enveloped both of them, but the assassin ignored it and lunged forward with his sword only to have it come in contact with another weapon, a spear, except this was no ordinary spear. It was one with a great, long, golden handle and a large sword like spear at the top, decorated with intricate stars and moons. The staff itself gave off a golden aura of its own, the weapon itself was vibrating with the magic of the two powerful beings combined within it. The red clad assassin tried with all his might to push through their attack, but couldn't as he struggled to maintain his own grip on his sword. He looked at both of them and noticed that Sakuras eyes were now glowing gold with power and Syaoran's was glowing silver with a great strength as well.

"Hmmm, you two have a trick up your sleeve," said the red clad assassin calmly as he stared at the two in front of him, their swords still locked together.

Sakura look up at the assassin with her full of power and said, "That's funny I thought the cat had your tongue."

"You want to see a trick," said Syaoran, with the same fierceness as his beloved, "try this on for size!" and with that they both broke the sword lock and swung the spear with great force. The crimson assassin had barely enough time to lift up his own sword and block the powerful blow which sent him flying through the stage and crashing into the opposite wall.

He lifted himself up from the pile of debris and began to dust himself off as he looked at the two powerful beings in front of him. Now that he was a few feet away, he could see the full of extent of their powers. The auras were now gold and silver instead of what they once were and they were so powerful that not only were they weaving in and out of one another, but they were actually taking up the space of half of the room.

"Hmmm, well this is a interesting turn of events." said the assassin with a smug grin on his face. Together Sakura and Syaoran readied their new weapon and began to channel more and more magic into it. The spear itself glowed an ominous gold color and then in an instant, they unleashed a powerful blast of magic towards the red assassin. Without even panicking of seeming worried at all, he just ducked his head to the right and the beam of destructive magic passed his head by a few inches.

The assassin looked back at the devastation that was behind him and let out a low whistle.

"So you two want to play huh…alright that's fine, I've got some time to kill." said the crimson assassin as he drew his sword once again. By now Syaoran's anger had gotten the best of him and he charged straight at the assassin who completely caught off guard. Syaoran swung the spear with all his might plus the power amplification of his silver aura and hit the crimson assassin sending him flying to the side. However before the red clad man could hit the floor Syaoran dashed over to him with incredible speed and caught him in mid air and slammed him into the ground with the end of the spear causing him to create a little crater where he landed. Once he was on the ground Syaoran immediately stood above him and began to punch him in the face over and over and over again. Sakura could only watch in horror as she saw her beloved Syaoran lose control of himself and continue to hammer away at the helpless assassin as he lay there. They both didn't notice when suddenly a shimmer of dark energy enveloped the assassin and morphed him into a different being, but it disappeared just as quickly as it appeared. With one final punch Syaoran raised the spear high above his head ready to stab the mysterious assassin, but was stopped when he hear Sakura scream his name.

"Syaoran No!!" she yelled as she ran over to him and pulled his arms down in a comforting manner before pulling him into a hug, "if you kill him then you will only lower yourself to his level!" she said as tears began to fill her eyes. Slowly Syaoran regained his composure and hugged his girlfriend back, "I'm sorry Sakura, I'm sorry you had to see me like that." Slowly their powers began to return to their usual state and before long the Destiny Spear disappeared returning to the Star Staff and the Li Clan Sword.

They both hugged one another before they retrieved their weapons and made their way over the crimson assassin who lay on the ground with his eyes closed.

"We should probably tie him up." said Sakura as she began to walk over to him, but was suddenly stopped with surprise when the assassin began to laugh. He opened up his eyes and looked up at the two as he lifted himself up onto his elbows.

"Whew that was exhilarating! Hahahaha! I gotta say you two are incredible," he said as he began to stand back up. Sakura and Syaoran stood there with shocked expressions, the same thought was running through both of their heads, '_No way, nobody could have survived a beating like that! At least not a human…'_

"Hehe," continued the assassin as he began to brush his clothes off, "I'll even go as far to say the underestimated you two. I can see why you guys were made the Kind and Queen."

The two powerful sorcerers just continued to watch as the man before them continued to clean himself off, acting as though nothing had happened to him at all. Syaoran said, "You're not human are you!?"

The crimson clad man looked at them and began to think to himself before responding to his question, "Actually I have no idea what I am,… hehehe I guess you could say I'm half and half." said the man with a slight chuckle.

"What does that mean?" asked a puzzled Sakura.

The assassin just shrugged his shoulders, "Hehe, I'd love to stay and tell you, but all good things must come to an end and business beckons!" and with that the crimson assassin leaped back up through window that he crashed through earlier.

"Hey we're not finished! Come back here!" said Syaoran as he tried to chase him.

The crimson assassin just looked back down at the two and laughed, "Sorry your highnesses, hehehe, but I can't play anymore, it's time for me to split, so I'll see ya two around. Adios, amigos!" and with that he gave them a little two finger salute and with the swish of his crimson cloak he was gone.

**Author's Note**

Whew another chapter done, a whole lot more to go. So what did you guys think of this action packed chapter!? Please leave a review and tell me what you guys think, please your reviews are really useful so please leave one okay. Alright cool, until next time see you guys around. Adios, amigos! ;)


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